Hyundai's Gas Elantra Is On Fire As EVs Slide

• Elantra posted massive July gains while Hyundai's electric lineup suffered steep declines.
• Tucson remained Hyundai's bestseller as hybrid demand climbed sharply across the lineup.
• Overall sales still reached another record despite weakening demand for electric models.

Hyundai just wrapped up its best July in the US, but the biggest surprise wasn't a high-tech EV with Ferrari-crushing performance. It was the humble Elantra, a car whose much funkier replacement has already been revealed. While much of the industry's attention remains fixed on EVs, Hyundai's compact gas sedan is quietly enjoying one of the hottest summers of any model in its lineup.

The Korean automaker delivered 82,480 vehicles in the US during July, up 4 percent from a year ago and enough to set a new company record for the month. Year to date sales also remain comfortably ahead, climbing 3 percent to 533,048 units through the end of July.

Related: Hyundai's One-Off Palisade Isn't For Sale, And That's A Shame

The headline grabber was the Elantra, which surged 39 percent to 17,115 sales for the month. That makes it Hyundai's second best selling model behind the Tucson, which climbed 20 percent to 19,714 deliveries. Sonata also enjoyed a strong July, rising 18 percent, suggesting plenty of buyers still haven't given up on traditional sedans.

Electric models told a very different story. The Ioniq 5, Hyundai's EV sales star, slipped 38 percent to 3,636 units. The big Ioniq 9 dropped 35 percent after its initial launch buzz, while the Ioniq 6 almost disappeared from the spreadsheet, though that's mostly because the regular model disappeared from the lineup in 2026 (the sporty N is still on sale). Ioniq 6 registrations tumbled 92 percent to just 76 sales, and even year to date, deliveries of the model are down 82 percent.

Hyundai wasn't short of good news elsewhere. Hybrid demand jumped 35 percent, setting another July record as buyers increasingly looked for a middle ground between gasoline and fully electric power. Hyundai says electrified vehicles accounted for one third of all retail sales during the month, helped by record hybrid performances from the Tucson, Sonata and Elantra.

The brand's SUV lineup also continued carrying much of the load. SUVs accounted for 73 percent of July volume, while Tucson strengthened its position as Hyundai's volume leader. Palisade and Santa Fe both slipped slightly compared with last July, but remained among the brand's strongest sellers.

Our big takeaway from Hyundai's latest sales figures is that American buyers still like having options – especially options that include a sensible, affordable, old-fashioned three-box sedan. That's something they can't get from GM, Stellantis or Ford.

Hyundai US Sales Figures July '26