Tesla is still the best-selling EV brand in America and there isn't a close second. However, there is a new second place contender, and it's Rivian. Chevy was the runner-up brand behind Tesla this time last year, but now that the Rivian R2 has been on sale for long enough, it's helped propel the brand past the American giant.
According to data from Cox Automotive, Rivian sold 19,239 vehicles in Q3 2026, putting in firmly in second place on the EV sales podium for a brand. (General Motors as an overall automaker still outsells Rivian in EVs.) That's a 45.7% increase, year-over-year, for Rivian, proving just how important the R2 is for the lineup. Right behind it was Toyota, with 12,904 sales, and surprisingly Cadillac behind Toyota, with 12,358 sales. No one comes even close to Tesla, though, which sold 144,094 cars last quarter.
