EV sales are slowing nationwide, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in Arkansas. EV registrations this year are far outpacing previous years.
“By far this is going to be the biggest year we’ve ever had for EVs, because we’ve already surpassed the average for the past few years just in the last five months,” said Scott Hardin, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
DFA says that since January 1, over 2,000 EVs have been registered—already approaching last year’s totals. Hybrids are also outpacing last year’s growth. There are now over 8,800 EVs and nearly 49,000 hybrids in the state.
Here’s a breakdown of the last several years, showing the accumulating number of EVs and hybrids registered in the state.
2019
- Fully Electric = 781
- Hybrid = 13,861
2020
- Fully Electric = 1,303
- Hybrid = 18,242
2021
- Fully Electric =2,094
- Hybrid =22,818
2022
- Fully Electric =2,997
- Hybrid =27,441
2023
- Fully Electric = 4069
- Hybrid = 32,068
2024
- Fully Electric = 6,895
- Hybrid = 41,652 hybrids
2025 (April 2025)
- Fully Electric = 8,807
- Hybrid = 48,797
“We hear all these stories nationwide of EV sales being down—not only down, but down significantly… and that’s just not the case here,” Hardin said. “We’ve collected $4 million in EV registration so far this year, whereas in the past five years combined, we collected about 12. So that just shows you how strong a year it’s been so far.”
Evolve Auto, Arkansas’ only all-EV dealership, says its sales have skyrocketed this year. Their most popular EV? No surprise—the Tesla Model 3.
“Year over year from 2014 to 2025, we’re currently at 181 percent of last year for the first six months,” said Collin Riggin, general manager at Evolve Auto.
So, what’s behind the success of EVs in Arkansas this year?
“Interest in the cars, demand for the cars,” Riggin said. “Pricing hasn’t affected it a whole lot. I mean, some of the higher-end EVs have come down some.”
Current federal tax credits may make buying an EV more attractive—but they haven’t necessarily had the effect of making them cheaper.
“It actually forced the price of the lower EVs—lower-priced EVs—back up into the mid-$20,000s sometimes,” Riggin said. “So some cars that did qualify a year ago would actually not qualify now.”
But the passage of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” today may change that.
“With them voting to end the tax credits today, it looks like those will—hopefully—actually allow the pricing of some of these lower-end cars to come back down to make them more affordable for everyday people,” Riggin said.
In the meantime, Tesla Cybertrucks appear to be multiplying in Arkansas. Hardin believes the demand for the highly anticipated truck has played a big part in the EV boom.
“I think you can attribute a lot of that to the truck,” Hardin said. “Because, I mean, just personally, I know people that were on that list for years waiting excitedly to get their hands on one.”
