November 2018 U.S. Plug-In EV Sales Report Card

November U.S. plug-in EV sales will climb again, but how high?

November 2018 will mark the 38th month of consecutive year-over-year monthly sales gains for plug-in vehicles.

Each month InsideEVs tracks all plug-in EV sales/deliveries for the United States by automaker. The last four consecutive months are now the top four best-selling months of all time. In addition, March 2018 completes the list, meaning all five top months have happened this year. We have no doubt November will make the list, but where will it fit in? Is there a chance it could shoot to the top?

September’s results will be tough to beat since it’s so far ahead of the others. Perhaps we’ll have to wait for December U.S. EV sales to crown a new champion? But, that doesn’t mean that November sales won’t be top-notch!

Additional U.S. EV Sales Content:

October 2018 Plug-In EV Sales Slide Into Top Three Of All Time

Nissan LEAF Sales Down Slightly In U.S. In November

More Info: How about a deep dive into our estimates and methodology?

Top Months for U.S. EV Sales to Date (estimated):

1. September 2018 – 42,548
2. November 2018 – 33,994
3. August 2018 – 36,380
4. October 2018 – 34,094
5. July 2018 – 29,514

As of the end of October 2018, an estimated 268,729 plug-in electric vehicles had been sold in the U.S. this year. We’re two-thirds of the way through the final quarter before the record-setting year goes into the archives. There’s a chance we may see over 350k EV deliveries in the U.S. in 2018 by the time the year comes to an end.

Check Out: Contributor Josh Bryant’s 2018 yearly sales predictions here

In November 2017, an estimated 17,178 plug-ins were sold in the United States. In both September and October 2018, we saw well over 100-percent gains from last year's numbers. Will November be another repeat of this trend?  Will we see deliveries pass 34,500? There's little doubt that this will be achieved. Over 34,000 EVs were sold in the U.S. in October, and November numbers are historically better. We think the month will easily see over 40,000 electric vehicles delivered on our shores.

In September, we saw a monumental effort by Tesla to get as many Model 3 sedans as possible delivered since the automaker was working diligently to show a profit. In addition, U.S. Model S and Model X sales were solid. For the month of October, the Model 3 push wasn't as significant, and being that it was the first month of a new quarter, Model S and Model X sales were lower, as expected.

Fast forward to November and it seems there's a different story to tell. Keep in mind that Tesla is also delivering Model 3 vehicles to Canada. Also remember that many Model S and X vehicles (as many as 50 percent) were delivered outside the U.S. last month. Nonetheless, Tesla Model 3, S, and X sales are outstanding based on our research and data.

According to our estimates, Tesla sold a fantastic 2,750 Model S sedans and 3,200 Model X crossovers in the U.S. in November.

Our research and data puts November Model 3 deliveries at 18,650 in the U.S.

Since GM has decided to discontinue monthly sales reporting, we provide you with estimates each month and then reconcile (if needed) at the end of each quarter. We're happy to report that our research has proven successful and our monthly numbers have been pretty solid.

Based on our estimates, the automaker has kicked it way up this November. It seems Chevrolet Volt sales have set an all-time record at 3,930 delivered in November. Previous to this report, the Volt's best month was December 2016, with 3,691 sold.

While Bolt EV sales didn't soar as high -- based on our research and data -- Chevrolet delivered an estimated 3,025 this November, which is not too far from its all-time high in December 2017 (3,227).

Nissan LEAF sales grew in August and escalated even further in September. However, October brought a mild downturn.

Moving on to November, LEAF deliveries are down again, at 1,128. 

The Toyota Prius Prime has made positive strides in the last few months, following a significant drop in sales in June and July.

According to Toyota, Prius Prime deliveries in November reached an impressive 2,312.

The Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid hit a high point in May (1,639). It also pulled pretty promising numbers for June, July, and August (about ~1,500 for three consecutive months). However, September was the month that broke records for Honda's new plug-in as it crossed the 2,000-mark for the first time. October continued that momentum, as our estimates pegged Clarity Plug-In Hybrid sales a 1,935.

This November, Honda sold a total of 1,903 Clarity vehicles. Based on our estimates, 1,857 of these were of the plug-in hybrid variety.

Keep yourself tuned in and refreshing the pages during the coming days as we put the numbers to the dialogue.

Questions entering November (with answers in italics as they come in):

1. Will Tesla Model 3 U.S. deliveries rise or remain flat? (Up again. While not as high as the huge September push, we see Model 3 sales up again, at 18,650 in the U.S. this November.)
2. How much was Tesla able to ramp up U.S. Model S and Model X sales due to the upcoming expiration of the U.S. federal EV tax credit? (Lots! According to our estimates, Tesla sold 2,750 Model S sedans and 3,200 Model X crossover in the U.S. in November.)
3. Did the Toyota Prius Prime finally make a significant delivery surge, or is 2,000 the new magic number? (Yes. Toyota upped its inventory and reported Prius Prime deliveries at an impressive 2,312 for November.)
4. What do our estimates reveal about Chevrolet Volt and Chevrolet Bolt EV sales, which seemed to completely flip over the last two months? (GM wowed us this November. According to our estimates, Chevrolet sold 3,930 Volts and 3,025 Bolt EVs.)
5. While not incredible, 2018 Nissan LEAF U.S. sales have been solid in the 1,200-1500 range for eight straight months. Can the LEAF close out 2018 with a few strong months? (Nope. LEAF sales were down in October and have dropped again for November. Nissan delivered 1,128 LEAF vehicles last month.)
6. Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid sales have been impressive all year, but especially over the last two months. Can November deliveries set a record for the Clarity? (Our estimates don't suggest a new record, but a solid number nonetheless. Honda reported 1,903 Clarity deliveries in November. We believe 1,857 were plug-in hybrids.)
7. As far as we understand, Jaguar sold its first five I-Pace vehicles in the U.S. in October. Will November show exponential sales growth? (Yes! Jaguar sold 165 I-Pace vehicles in the U.S. in November.)
8. Did GM cross the 200,000-mark in November? (According to our estimates, it appears that's the case, but we'll wait for GM's quarterly report to verify.)

Also of note this November:

• Honda sold an estimated 9 Clarity FCEVs.
• Toyota delivered 194 Mirai fuel cell vehicles.

Last update: December 5, 2018 @ 1:05 PM ET

*Keep in mind that we use the words sales and deliveries synonymously. In order for a car to count as SOLD, it has to be paid in full (or leased) and be in the possession of the consumer.

***InsideEVs' journalist Wade Malone provided in-depth, detailed, and heavily researched sales estimations and related analysis.

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(Previous year’s monthly results can be found on our Historical Charts page)

2018 Monthly Sales Chart

Above - 2018 Monthly Sales Chart For The Major Plug-In Automakers – *Estimated Sales Numbers – Reconciled on Monthly or Quarterly Totals, ** Estimated (Based on State/Rebate Data and other reports). BEV models are designated with the icon.

To view our Individual Plug-In Model Sales Recap For Major Models, click here. It contains an individual run-down of each vehicle’s monthly result and some analysis behind the numbers.

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