Gas Prices Hit $4.50 and Americans Still Won't Buy EVs

Americans Are Spending More Money to Drive Worse Cars

For the first time, electric vehicles and hybrids outsold pure gas cars worldwide in 2026, and 49 countries set EV sales records as oil prices climbed after the war with Iran. The United States is the glaring exception: EVs were just 6.4 percent of new-car sales from July to September, barely up from January, even as gas jumped from $3 to $4.50 a gallon.