California EV sales drop as experts say federal policy shifts reshape market

California's goal of having 100% of new cars sold be electric vehicles by 2035 may be hitting a roadblock. A new report shows a steady decline in sales over the past six months, but experts say that while electric vehicle sales have dropped, they will likely bounce back sooner than we think. The latest report from the California New Car Dealers Association shows zero-emission vehicles made up just 13.7% of the market in the first quarter, down sharply from 21% for all of 2025 and marking the lowest share since late 2021. Total EV registrations dropped more than 40% year-over-year.