If you only look at Hyundai’s headline numbers, 2025 was a triumph. The brand posted its best December ever in the US car market, its third straight year of record total sales, and its fifth consecutive year of record retail volume. Total sales reached 901,686 vehicles, and December alone delivered 78,930 sales.

Fist bumps all around, right? Sounds like everything is going wonderfully. But scratch beneath the surface and the picture becomes more complicated and less joyful, especially if you care about electric cars.

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Because Hyundai’s EVs stumbled badly at the end of the year. Ioniq 5 sales fell 50 percent in December compared to the same month last year. Ioniq 6 dropped even harder, down 62 percent. In the fourth quarter, both models were also down sharply, by almost 60 percent.

Ioniq 9 Jumps In

Over the full year, the story is slightly kinder but still uneven. Ioniq 5 finished 2025 up nearly 6 percent year over year, but Ioniq 6 was down 15 percent. The newly launched three row Ioniq 9 added EV volume during 2025, ensuring Hyundai’s total electric sales in the last 12 months beat out those for 2024, when the Ioniq 9 was still waiting to be launched.

But in Q4 and December, the EV total was down dramatically, despite the 9 having joined to lend a hand.

Hyundai US Sales December 2025

And EVs weren’t the only models struggling. The Sonata was down 13 percent in 2025 (and 32 percent in Q4), and the Santa Cruz light truck dropped 20 percent during 2025 (and 21 percent in Q4). The Kona didn’t fare too well either. Its sales slid 9 percent between January and December.

Hybrid Help

So how did Hyundai still manage record numbers? The answer is hybrids and SUVs. Hybrid sales jumped 71 percent in December and were up 36 percent across the year, driven by demand for electrified versions of the Elantra, Sonata, Tucson, Santa Fe and Palisade.

Hyundai US Sales Q4 2025

Meanwhile, Hyundai’s core SUVs surged, with Santa Fe up 20 percent for the year, Palisade up 13 percent and Tucson up 14 percent.

In other words, Hyundai’s record year was not built on electric, but electrified momentum. Buyers did not stop shopping, they simply changed how they shopped, preferring to spend their money on more traditional vehicles with more traditional powertrains.

Hyundai US sales 2025

Hyundai