U.S. Used EV Sales Jump in August — What Canadian Dealers Are Watching

Canadian dealers keeping tabs on the U.S. electric vehicle market will have found signs of rebalancing in August. Used EV sales across the United States jumped 14.7% compared with August 2025, according to Cox Automotive data, with 44,350 used EVs changing hands for the month — a 25.9% increase over July 2026 alone.

The surge is being driven by growing off-lease returns that are finally expanding the pool of available used EVs. Electric vehicles accounted for 2.8% of all used-vehicle sales in August, and nearly 30% of the used EVs sold were Teslas.

Which brands are moving

The August data shows broad-based strength across most EV lineups. Month-over-month increases included:

• Nissan: +45.1%
• Cadillac: +37.7%
• Kia: +32.1%

Tesla remained the dominant force in the new EV market, selling 40,816 units in the U.S. in August for a 51.7% market share. Toyota posted a 34.9% month-over-month jump to 4,964 units, and overall new EV sales reached 78,895 units — up 2.5% from July but still down 46.9% compared with August 2025.

Days' supply hits parity with gas vehicles

The most telling metric is days' supply. Used EV inventory on dealer lots fell 15.4% from July to 42 days' supply in August, putting it in parity with internal-combustion vehicles for the first time in 2026. That signals demand is finally catching up to the oversupply that had depressed used EV prices for much of the year.

Supply is still 20.2% higher than it was a year earlier, so there is no shortage of used EVs available — but the pace of movement has clearly accelerated. Average transaction prices for new EVs fell 1.3% from July to US$54,754, carrying a 9.7% premium over the average ICE-powered vehicle.

Why Canadian buyers should watch this

Canada's used EV market tends to follow U.S. trends with a lag of four to eight weeks. When used EV days' supply tightens south of the border, Canadian wholesale prices usually follow. Shoppers who are flexible on model year and trim should see improving availability through the fall, especially as off-lease Teslas, Nissans and Kias re-enter inventory pools.

If you are shopping for an EV rather than a used model, our charging cost calculator compares annual fuel and electricity savings across all ten provinces.

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