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There was a tiny glimmer of light in the EV sales numbers after the second quarter of the year: It was the first time EV purchases had increased on a quarter-over-quarter basis since it happened in the third quarter of 2025 — after the federal EV tax incentive was eliminated. Overall, though, deliveries tanked by 26.8% for the first half of this year, with the market share for EVs falling from 9.5% to 7.1%. So, in most cases, today's most popular EVs aren't really that popular. The top seller for H1 2026 was the Tesla Model Y, and while the brand is absolutely dominating compared to its all-electric rivals, the Model Y was ranked seventh among all vehicles sold in the U.S., with less than half the sales of the leading Ford F-Series. Meanwhile, seven of the top 10 best-selling EVs in America had less than 20,000 sales during the first six months of this year.
For this list, we're looking at those EV best-sellers from the first half of 2026 and re-ranking them by travel distance on a single charge from best to worst. The result is a lucky seven rides that are both relatively popular and relatively free from range anxiety: the Rivian R1S, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Equinox, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Interestingly, they seem to be split into two camps: The three popular models with the longest range were from Rivian and Tesla, while the legacy automakers were clumped very close together, all offering about 30 to 40 miles less.
2026 Rivian R1S: 410 miles
Rivian
With an estimated 11,677 sales through June of 2026, the Rivian R1S was the sixth-most popular EV in the country during the first half of the year. Just as important for our purposes is that this big seven-seat SUV has the longest range on the EV top-10 bestsellers list — in some configurations, at least. Per the EPA, the R1S "Dual Max" and "Performance Dual Max" can each go up to 410 miles on a single charge of electricity on a 140-kWh battery pack. They offer the same efficiency numbers, too, since both are listed at 91 MPGe city/77 MPGe highway/84 MPGe combined equipped with 22-inch wheels.
Things get a little tricky here, though. You won't find Dual Max models of any type on the Rivian website anymore. Instead, there's a dual-motor Premium trim with the same claimed 410-mile range when ordered with a long-range battery. And again, relying on Rivian, that range doesn't change with the Power Upgrade for dual-motor models, which raises the vehicle's output from 533 horsepower to 665. For comparison, Rivian's tri-motor SUVs — the ones the brand refers to as Performance models — have a max EPA range of 370 miles. Meanwhile, the 2026 R1S quad-motor makes more than 1,000 horsepower with incredible off-road capability, but it has a range of only 338 miles.
2026 Tesla Model 3: 363 miles
Tesla has been absolutely dominating the EV market this year, helped in large part by the Model 3. After notching 66,616 sales during the first six months of 2026, the brand's midsize sedan ranks second on the first-half-of-2026 EV leaderboard — almost 20,000 sales ahead of the third-place vehicle. It's also worth pointing out that — despite Consumer Reports (CR) cancelling its recommendation due to poor reliability scores in 2019 — the Model 3 is back in the organization's good graces. In fact, when we checked in on the best EVs you can buy for 2026, the Model 3 was CR's top-rated Mainstream Electric Car.
When it comes to how far it can go before recharging, well, the Model 3 is much like the R1S in one particular way: It's available in many configurations with multiple range ratings. Leading the way? The Premium-trim model that the EPA reports can travel up to 363 miles without a recharge. That's for rear-wheel-drive editions, while a comparable all-wheel-drive Model 3 checks in with a range of 346 miles. The extra driving wheels impact the car's efficiency grades, causing the marks to slip from 145 MPGe city/128 MPGe highway/137 MPGe combined to 133/122/128, respectively.
2026 Tesla Model Y: 357 miles
On the topic of Tesla domination, the Model Y had the highest sales volume of any EV in the country during the first half of this year, and that's a title it's held for over five years straight. The midsize crossover had a summer debut in 2020, becoming so hot that it became the No. 2 best-selling EV of the year despite its late start. The Model Y ascended to the sales throne in 2021 and has been there ever since. Additionally, for 2026, the Model Y's first-half sales total estimate of 163,454 marked a 9% year-over-year jump over 2025 — even though that included a 2% decrease in second-quarter sales.
The Model Y is also poised for a bit of a sales boost through the rest of 2026: The extended-length three-row Model Y L is now on sale to add to the nameplate's bottom line. Of course, that's assuming Tesla can find enough parents who want to slam their kids' heads into tempered glass. Perhaps a better selling point may be how far you can travel before recharging. The all-new 2027 Model Y L has a range of 328 miles complemented by an EPA line of 119 MPG3 city/108 MPG3 highway/114 MPGe combined. It's not that far from the regular-sized Model Y, which blends a 357-mile range with an EPA line of 144/123/134.
2026 Cadillac Lyriq: 7,758 sales
Although Cadillac is among the brands that have decommitted from an all-electric future, that was only after it had already become a small-scale EV success story. The brand sold its 100,000th all-electric model this spring. Certainly, doing its part has been the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq. With the new Lyriq-V super daily driver now in the fold, the brand's midsize EV SUV captured 7,578 sales between January and June of this year. That was enough for it to round out the first-half best-sellers list in 10th place.
The Lyriq also happens to be the longest-range EV from a legacy automaker on the list. Admittedly, the rest of the crew is close behind. According to the EPA, this luxury electric SUV can achieve a range of up to 326 miles in its rear-wheel-drive configuration — and that's with either the 11- or the 19-kW onboard charger. The three remaining choices have ranges of 318 to 320 miles.
As another advantage, the long-range Lyriq does its driving more efficiently than the Rivian R1S. The latter, remember, posted a best EPA efficiency line of 91/77/84, while the Cadillac compares at 100/83/92. Folks who prefer their Lyriqs with AWD can opt for the Performance AWD model with a 319-mile range and 89/80/89 EPA-rated mpg.
2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E: 320 miles
It wasn't that long ago that the Ford Mustang Mach-E was outselling its gas counterpart at a rate of more than 2 to 1 — backed by 20,177 sales during third quarter of 2025. Fast-forward to the first half of this year, however, and the Mach-E has only reached 11,632 sales in twice the time. Maybe customers didn't like having to pay up to get a frunk? Anyways, that was still good for seventh place in the EV sales totals for the period, even as Ford sold 28,725 gas-powered Mustangs over the same period.
The Mustang Mach-E ranks at number five for range among the most popular EVs. When fitted with its extended-range battery and RWD, Ford's electric SUV can gallop along on electricity alone for an EPA-certified 320 miles. The Mach-E adds further green cred by covering those miles with triple-digit efficiency ratings in all facets of the EPA testing cycle: 115 MPGe city/104 MPGe highway/110 MPGe combined. To be clear, the Mustang Mach-E with that maximum range is the Premium trim with the long-range battery pack, not the entry-level Select model. The former opens at $45,345 and the latter at $37,795 — in both cases before not only $2,045 in destination charges, but also a $695 acquisition fee.
2026 Chevrolet Equinox: 319 miles
Remember those out-of-control price drops for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV in February? Well, they didn't seem to make all that much of a difference in the marketplace. The all-electric Equinox endured a 41% year-over-year sales decline during the first half of 2026, when the Bowtie brand moved 16,249 models off of dealership lots. The drop-off also left the Equinox in fifth place on the 2026 EV sales leaderboard, meaning it's slipped two spots in the standings since the end of last year, when it led all non-Tesla EVs for U.S. sales. It's worth noting that the Honda Prologue, which is now out of production, rode on the same platform as the Equinox and tallied 8,407 sales.
Range-wise, the EPA lists the front-wheel-drive Equinox EV as capable of 319 miles on a full charge, with AWD versions clocking at 307 and 288 miles with 11- and 19-kW onboard chargers, respectively. This is just a tick under the highest range offered by the Mustang Mach-E, but the Equinox is slightly more efficient on the highway. The 'Nox's best numbers are 117/100/108 – again for the FWD model. Just FYI, the gas-only Equinox tops out with AWD and a range of 406 miles, albeit with EPA grades of 25/29/26.
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5: 318 miles
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 replaced the Chevrolet Equinox EV as the top-selling electric vehicle in the country that isn't a Tesla. It wasn't just because the Chevy lost so much demand, either. The Ioniq 5's sales spiked by 9% over the first half of the year, hitting 20,730 units. The numbers likely got a boost from the high-performance Ioniq 5 N that got less expensive and easier to drift for 2026.
The thing is, while it's true that the N model also beat the Chevrolet Corvette in a MotorTrend comparo, it had to trade away a significant amount of range in the process. Maximizing your travel distance in the "regular" Ioniq 5 lets you drive 318 miles when you upgrade to the long-range battery, and that's with efficiency grades of 129/100/114. Meanwhile, the super-powered sibling falls to a range of 221 miles at 84/72/78.
We also have to give a shout-out to the driverless Ioniq 5 robotaxi, which is gaining traction among companies that go in for that sort of thing, such as Waymo. When configured for taxi service, the Ioniq 5 is rated for a 168-mile range at 73/69/71 mpg. It's potentially good news for civilization, since those grades are so far behind what the human-driven Ioniq 5 can achieve.
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