Gas is nearly $5, and Americans are still buying oil burnersAmericans Are Spending More Money to Drive Worse Cars

EVs and hybrids outsold pure gas cars globally for the first time this year, yet they were just 6.4% of US new-car sales even as gas rose from $3 to $4.50.

For the first time, electric and hybrid cars outsold pure gasoline cars worldwide in 2026. The war in Iran pushed oil prices up, and 49 countries set EV sales records, from Hanoi to Hamburg.

America is the exception

From July to September, EVs were 6.4% of US new-car sales — barely above January, before the war. Gas went from $3 to $4.50 in a year and drivers didn't budge.

Elaine Buckberg of Harvard says a few months of high gas makes people think it will pass; six months or more can shift the industry. The 1970s oil shocks killed the land yacht, and 2000s prices made the Prius. This time drivers have a real alternative and aren't taking it.

The market is full of holes

The US effectively bans Chinese-made EVs, so the BYD Dolphin Surf, about $22,000 in Europe, isn't available. The RAV4 and Camry are hybrid-only now; Ford killed the electric F-150 last year, citing weak sales.

The only electric minivan is the struggling VW ID. Buzz. Teslas are good cars, but many Americans won't touch the brand because of Elon Musk. The plain hybrid is the big winner, up 27% in a year.

Good isn't enough

Buckberg's research at GM found people will buy an EV as long as they don't have to give up anything they like about their current car.

Fast chargers aren't dense enough and charging isn't as quick as pumping gas — which Americans treat as a prerequisite, even though most drive about 30 miles a day and could charge at home.

But if EVs must beat gas cars at everything before anyone tries one, America will wait a long time. Until then, Americans keep pumping gas into worse cars while the rest of the world moves on.