Germany’s car-check watchdog has crunched the reliability numbers and once again, Tesla finds itself parked at the very bottom of the heap. The 2026 TÜV-Report, covering annual roadworthiness inspections of approximately 9.5 million vehicles between July 2024 and June 2025, found that Tesla EVs occupied the two bottom spots in the league table.

The Model 3, which was the worst-ranked car for the two previous years was found to have a defect rate of 13.1 percent, meaning one in every 7.6 cars in the two-to-three-year-old ages group failed the Hauptuntersuchung safety check.

Why Is The Model Y So Troubled?

But the Model Y was even worse. It had a defect rate of 17.3 percent, versus 3.5 percent for a Mini Cooper SE, making it the worst TÜV has seen in this age group in a decade. The biggest defect culprits were the axle assembly, suspension, brakes and lighting.

Related: Tesla Is Now The World’s Most Avoided EV Brand And It’s Probably Musk’s Fault

Pulling back to look at the bigger picture covering cars of all ages reveals that 21.5 percent, or one in five cars failed the inspection due to a “significant” or “dangerous” defect, an increase of 0.9 percent on last year, ADAC reported. And the proportion with minor defects rose 0.8 percent to 12.3 percent.

Other reliability villains include the BMW 5-series and 6-series in both the 4-5-year-old and 8-9-year-old age groups, the Dacia Duster in the 6-7 and 10-11 age groups and the Renault Clio among 12-13-year-old cars.

Electric Cars Defect Rate, 2-3 Years Old

Pop the Champagne for VW

But with every list of losers there has to be a list of winners, and for cars that have passed their fourth birthday, this one is headed by Volkswagen.

The VW Golf wagon and T-Roc scored well in the 4-7-year-old categories and the automaker’s Touareg was top of the oldies. The Mazda CX-3 and Mercedes B-Class were also commended.

Looking at the 2-3-year-old group, Fiat’s 500e toped the small car category, proving to Tesla that EVs can be reliable, the Mazda 2 and BMW 1-series were the top-rated small car and compact, and the C-class took the mid-range award (if you’re reading from the US, those classifications will look kinda messed up).

The T-Roc popped up again to take best SUV, and the B-class bagged most reliable nearly-new minivan.

Rate of Serious Inspection Defects

One big change in this year’s study is the introduction of an award for long-term quality, handed out to brands whose vehicles, aged 10+ exhibit the lowest average defect rate for safety-related faults and stand for quality, durability, and good service.

Mercedes took gold with an 18.5 percent defect rate – almost matching that of a 2-3-year-old Model Y – Audi was second with 19.2 percent and Toyota snuck onto the podium’s last step with a 22 percent defect rate.

Winners By Segment, 2-3 Years Old

Winners In Other Age Groups

The Waupun Correctional Institution, the oldest prison in Wisconsin built in the 1850s, sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood (Photo | Wisconsin Examiner)

Under scrutiny over prison deaths and living conditions, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections has received recommendations that aim to improve life in adult prisons, including solitary confinement, suicide watch, mental health care and basic corrections practices. 

The study was conducted by Falcon Correctional and Community Services Inc. experts partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC). The department said it is planning to contract with the consulting firm to create a framework to implement recommendations. 

“While the report affirms that DOC is moving in the right direction, it also shows that there is more work to be done,” Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy said in the department’s press release. 

In a statement, the advocacy group Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) said the report “confirms what directly impacted people and advocates have said for years: Wisconsin’s prisons are dangerously overcrowded, under-resourced and in desperate need of healing-centered reform.”

Many of the suggested changes will affect the entire correctional system, the agency said. Consultants and staff will work to “reimagine existing space, create new processes and training at five pilot sites.” 

In a letter dated July 9, 2024, Hoy told a state Assembly committee that the department planned on bringing on Falcon for an outside review. News of criminal charges against staff at Waupun Correctional Institution over prisoner deaths had broken just weeks before Hoy wrote the letter. The same day, the committee heard testimony about the toll of solitary confinement and other issues in the prison system. 

The department and Falcon signed a contract in November 2024, and the Examiner reported in January on details of the partnership obtained through public records requests. Criminal justice reform advocates expressed hope the report would be beneficial but have called for independent oversight of the Department of Corrections. Last week, the department published the 137-page final report, which lists strengths for the department to build on as well as recommendations for improvement.  

The report states that while all recommendations are made based on Falcon’s overall review of the adult prison system, “we understand that the majority of recommendations will require funding, often requiring budget approval.”

Susan Franzen of the prison reform advocacy group Ladies of SCI expressed concern about whether overcrowding and staffing shortages will affect DOC’s ability to effectively carry out recommendations. 

“Legislators need to help the DOC out by giving them a fighting chance to make these changes,” Franzen wrote in an email to the Wisconsin Examiner. 

The report states that the study involved working with DOC officials, gathering data, reviewing policies, statutes and prior studies and conducting virtual workshops with DOC experts and others, including formerly incarcerated people and advocates. 

It also included visits to 15 facilities, such as the Waupun and Green Bay prisons, and interviews with staff and incarcerated people.

Suicide watch

Preventing suicide is a pressing concern, the report states in a section that summarized information from mental health-related discussions with staff during mental health workshops and site visits.

One concern is that observation cells are typically in restrictive housing units; in addition, “individuals on observation status are not allowed therapeutic items, visits, phone calls, or recreation,” the report states.  

People who pose threats to themselves, or who pose threats to others because of mental illness, may be put on observation.

The report recommends housing people in observation in “more appropriate environments that support therapeutic care and patient safety.” 

Over the last 15 years, 59 people died by suicide in Wisconsin prisons, an average of four deaths per year. Suicide watch placements reportedly rose from 1,200 to 1,500 per year to about 2,500 in 2024. In June, the Examiner reported on Victor Garcia, who died due to an attempt to hang himself while he was on observation in a Wisconsin prison.

Psychological services staff decide what items a person can have access to while they’re on clinical observation. Department policy provides a list to use as a starting point, including items like soap, toilet paper and suicide-resistant clothing. 

The report described the list as “very limiting,” and the security mat or mattress was observed to be inadequate for most people on suicide precautions. Later on in the report, it suggests replacing small sleeping mats with suicide-resistant mattresses.

Solitary confinement

The Falcon report includes priorities and steps to take on “restrictive housing” in state prisons, where incarcerated people experience “very limited” out-of-cell programming and recreation time, such as:

• Giving people in restrictive housing at least two hours of recreation and/or programming each day, not including out-of-cell time for necessary activities, such as showers 
• Reviewing the status, programming and needs of people in restrictive housing every week instead of every 30 days 
• Improving cleanliness and removing all graffiti 
• Establishing units that are alternatives to restricted housing for people with serious mental illnesses

Incarcerated people in Wisconsin prisons can be put in restrictive housing as a punishment for a violation or when having the person live with the general population would create a serious threat. 

An average stay in disciplinary separation — a punishment for committing a violation — decreased from 39.7 days in January 2019 to 27.4 days in April 2025, the report notes. However, this varies by facility, and the latest average published online for Green Bay Correctional Institution is 48.7 days. 

The department has begun to address the number of people in restrictive housing and how long they spend there, the report states. However, the number of people placed in restrictive housing has not changed significantly over the last five years.

“High rates of substance use and mental illness among individuals placed in restrictive housing was noted, often contributing to a ‘revolving door’ for this population,” the report stated in the section about mental health insights from staff. 

Solitary confinement has potential effects of physical harm, health issues and negative effects on mental health, the report notes.

Solitary confinement is also associated with increased risk of violence towards oneself and suicide, and research shows that solitary confinement as a tool does not reduce institutional misconduct or violence or the risk of recidivism, the report states. 

There were 950 people in restrictive housing as of September, 863 of whom were placed there due to a rule violation, according to online Department of Corrections data. 

Under a policy that went into effect last May, a placement of over 120 days has to be approved by the assistant administrator for the division of adult institutions, the report noted. 

An overcrowded system

All medium and maximum-security facilities in Wisconsin except for Waupun Correctional Institution are over capacity, as of January, the report states. Facilities for men were at 130% of capacity, while women’s prisons were at 166% of capacity. People are living at security levels that don’t fit their classification — for example, a person sentenced to medium-security being held in maximum security, or a person sentenced to minimum-security being held in medium security. 

The state building commission took an initial step toward updating the aging and overcrowded prison system last month, when it agreed to create plans for a revamp. 

Inconsistency in the department 

Leaders and staff at the facility level of the agency felt a lack of autonomy in their day-to-day jobs, the report found. They believe there is “significant and often excessive and unnecessary scrutiny from outside entities.” 

But the study also found a problem with “a general lack of uniformity across facilities,” which is creating challenges relating to monitoring, oversight and accountability. It recommends “system-wide alignment” on areas including basic security practices, incident reporting and investigation processes.

The report recommends that the agency take an approach that involves both oversight and collaboration. The goal would be to carry out the strategy of DOC leadership with both efforts from leadership and “input and innovation” from frontline staff, stakeholders and incarcerated people. 

A central part of a section called “Back-to-Basics in Correctional Practices” recommends a three to five-day training for all staff about basic corrections practices, such as searches, use of force and out-of-cell time for people in restrictive housing. 

The department “has experienced a great deal of staffing changes, with a significant number of the current staff hired during or after the COVID19 pandemic,” the report found.

Strained mental health care

Mental health services were described as strained, according to the section of the report about mental health-related discussions with staff.

That section of the report suggests that an “unsustainable” number of people have been assigned to receive mental health care at least once every six months, and that this interferes with treatment for people who need more intensive care. 

Nearly half of all incarcerated people in adult prisons had been classified as needing mental health care as of May 20. It’s a much higher rate than other state correctional departments see, the report states. 

Department data shows the agency isn’t fully staffed in psychological services, with a vacancy rate of 19.7%. 

About nine in ten incarcerated women were on the mental health caseload. The report also noted that the population of maximum security facilities has a higher percentage of incarcerated people with mental health needs than medium or minimum security facilities.

Other recommendations in the report address medical practices, investigations and intelligence practices, data management and human resources and staffing.

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Electric car buyers have always been an opinionated bunch. Ask 10 EV drivers why they went electric, and you’ll hear everything from saving the planet, to saving money, to “I just like torque.” But a new global study suggests many are now choosing and avoiding brands for a different reason entirely: politics.

Related: Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing

Global EV Alliance surveyed more than 26,000 electric-vehicle owners across 30 countries and discovered that a large proportion of EV drivers avoid certain brands or countries specifically because of political factors.

Tesla is the most-avoided brand, while China, perhaps predictably, is the most-avoided country of production.

What Shapes an EV Buyer’s Loyalty?

Of those who said they avoid specific brands, 41 percent named Tesla, a stunning figure for a company that essentially invented the modern mass-market EV segment. China was called out as a country of origin to avoid by 12 percent, while 5 percent of respondents said they avoid US-built EVs altogether.

The study didn’t spell out which political issues were driving the Tesla aversion, but it isn’t exactly hard to imagine respondents’ grievances.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent the last few years ping-ponging between political controversies, online fights, and eyebrow-raising hand gestures that have sparked everything from newspaper op-eds to calls for boycotts.

Some Tesla owners seem willing to separate the car from the CEO, but for others, Musk’s extracurricular activities have made the brand a no-go. A recent report suggested the CEO’s antics had cost the company more than a million sales.

What brands/countries would you avoid for political reasons?

The survey reveals interesting regional quirks. In the US, Germany, the UK, Australia, and even electric-loving Norway, more than 45 percent of EV drivers said they would avoid Tesla, suggesting that the brand’s home market and the world’s biggest EV adopters are among the least forgiving.

But in India and Hungary, just 2 percent and 6 percent of EV owners said they would avoid the brand.

The Cost of Country of Origin

China-built EVs also face wildly different levels of acceptance, ranging from a 2-percent avoid rating (Italy, Poland) to 43 percent (Lithuania). This may come down to availability and affordability. In developing markets, Chinese EVs dominate the lower-cost end of the spectrum, which means political preferences sometimes take a back seat to price and practicality.

But generally, as EV sales continue to rise globally and drivers have more choice, brand identity and origin are becoming more important. It’s no longer just about range and charging speed. Drivers are paying attention to who builds the cars, where they come from, and even who posts what on social media.

If automakers weren’t already watching their public image, this survey gives them another reason to tread carefully. In the EV world, it turns out politics can be just as important as performance. You can check out the full study here.

The used-car market was absolutely red hot for a few years after 2019, driven by pandemic-related shortages that sent prices soaring across the board. It dipped in 2023 and has steadily been gaining momentum, with both demand and average transaction prices (ATP) creeping upward ever since.

More: Everyone’s Buying Pickup Trucks, But Almost No One’s Using Them That Way

Now, the third quarter of 2025 has seen a slight shift. As prices continue to increase, buyers are taking their time more than in recent history. In another strange turn, EVs are now rolling off dealer lots faster than internal-combustion models.

According to data collected by Edmunds, the average three-year-old car spent 41 days on dealer lots in the third quarter. That’s up from 37 days last year, marking the slowest “days-to-turn” pace since 2017.

Why the Slowdown?

The most likely reason is the ongoing rise in transaction prices. The average price for a three-year-old car reached $31,067 in Q3 2025, a five percent increase from $29,578 a year ago, and nearly $10,000 higher than in 2017, when comparable used models hovered around $21,000.

Three-Year-Old Used Vehicle Pricing And Turn Rates

Edmunds

That price climb means buyers are weighing their options more carefully, comparing used models to new ones that often include incentives and warranties. The last time that used cars carried an ATP of over $30,000 was 2022, when pandemic-era shortages drove demand through the roof.

Now that supply shortages have mostly faded into memory, shoppers seem more inclined to pause and weigh their choices before finally deciding to buy.

What’s Selling Fastest?

Not every aspect of the market is cooling, though. EVs have quietly become the fastest-selling segment of the used market. They’re averaging just 34 days on the lot.

Avg Days to Turn by Powertrain (3-Year-Old Vehicles, Q3 2025)

Edmunds

Hybrids take 40 days, diesels take 41, and gas vehicles take 43. Plug-in hybrids actually take the longest at 47 days before a sale. No doubt, lower mileage and attractive pricing play a role here.

EV Momentum

Used EVs sold during Q3 averaged 35,661 miles and a transaction price of $29,911. Nearly two-thirds of all three-year-old EVs were priced within the $20,000 and $30,000 range. Across the rest of the used-car market, only 42 percent fall between those two prices.

EVs in that range also tend to show less wear since roughly 66 percent have fewer than 40,000 miles on the odometer. Essentially, EVs are providing the best value in the used market at the moment. At the same time, they make up just 1.6 percent of total used inventory.

Despite limited availability of 2022 EV models, they still represented eight of the 19 fastest-selling three-year-old vehicles, reflecting growing shopper interest even as demand for new ones cools. The deals are out there; they just might be hard to find.

EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4, and Ford Mustang Mach-E offer substantial savings compared with their original sticker prices, often undercutting new examples by more than $25,000. On the flip side, ICE cars such as the Toyota GR Supra and Lexus NX 350h have held their value surprisingly well

19 Fastest-Selling Models in Q3 2025

Edmunds

We’ve all heard the stereotype: electric truck owners are latte-sipping tech bros cruising around in Rivian R1Ts or Tesla Cybertrucks to look adventurous rather than be adventurous. It’s an easy image to picture – clean trucks, unscuffed tires, not a hint of mud in sight. No doubt, the entire truck market is far too full of folks who own them but don’t use them.

That’s an entirely different topic we’ve already covered. Today, we focus in on another truth that data has unveiled. It’s not just “real” truck folks that are hauling and off-roading. EV truck owners behave almost exactly like their gas-powered counterparts.

Also: Everyone’s Buying Pickup Trucks, But Almost No One’s Using Them That Way

Carscoops obtained data from Strategic Vision, a company that surveys some 250,000 people annually about the way they use their vehicles. That data paints a very clear picture of where truck drivers take their rides, what they do with them, and how size and powertrain affect those figures.

Who’s Actually Getting Dirty?

For example, off-roading is a hobby that around one in every three truck owners enjoys. 31 percent of alternative powertrain (ATP) truck owners report doing light off-roading. Think gravel or dirt roads, at least once a month.

That’s nearly identical to the 29 percent of standard truck (think Toyota Tacoma) owners who report the same. What about full-size truck owners? 32 percent of them take to the dirt or gravel at least once a month.

Off-Roading Activity by Truck Type

When the trail gets harder to cope with, the data doesn’t change much either. Serious off-road terrain, like rocks, mud, and streams, is the playground for 11 percent of ATP truck owners once a month or more. 13 percent of standard truck owners and 15 percent of full-size truck owners say the same.

Put another way, electric truck owners aren’t babying their rigs. If anything, they’re using them just as often for weekend adventures as those of ICE-powered ones. Perhaps the most interesting data in the entire lump that we collected is how heavy-duty truck owners differ from everybody else.

Those drivers are significantly more likely to do both types of off-roading that we’ve discussed. That tracks since these folks are often hauling equipment into fields, farms, and job sites.

Truck Bed Utility and Driving Behavior

Hauling Habits

Speaking of hauling, it’s another place where we see clear evidence that EV truck owners don’t just drive as though they’re in a crossover or car. Data shows that 64 percent of them use their bed to haul something at least once a month.

In fact, they do it more often than standard truck owners at 58 percent and full-size pickup owners at 61 percent, though obviously less than heavy-duty truck owners, who lead the pack at 74 percent.

More: America’s Truck Tariffs Just Opened A New Trade Front

On top of that, driving purely for enjoyment is common across all three core segments, with 89 to 90 percent of owners saying they do it regularly, while heavy-duty truck owners come in slightly lower, but still high at 82 percent.

No doubt, APT truck owners tow less frequently than combustion engine classes. That makes sense given the big issues with towing range, charging infrastructure, and charging speed. But when it comes to everyday utility, APT pickup drivers are putting their trucks to work.

Electric, But Every Bit a Truck

This data undercuts one of the most persistent cultural divides in the pickup world. For years, EV truck buyers have been portrayed as outsiders. Newcomers who love the look and lifestyle of a truck but not the dirt under the fingernails. The numbers suggest otherwise.

Also: Your Green Plug-in Hybrid Is An Eco Sham, Study Finds

Whether it’s a Ford Lightning hauling mulch, a Rivian R1T chasing forest service roads, or even a Cybertruck owner heading for a campsite, electric truck drivers are proving that capability isn’t defined by what’s under the hood, but how the truck gets used.

So while the stereotype might linger in comment sections, the evidence is clear: EV truck owners aren’t replacing trucks with toys. They’re just redefining what it means to be a truck owner.

Truck Owner Usage Summary

While the loss of the federal EV tax credit in the United States threw a wrench into sale figures in October, the global picture told a more upbeat story. New data shows worldwide sales of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles climbed 23 percent, powered by a surge in demand across Europe and China.

Read: Hyundai And Kia EV Sales Collapse After Tax Credits Vanish Overnight

According to data from Rho Motion, an estimated 1.9 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold globally last month, a 23 percent rise over October 2024.

The figure, however, was slightly lower than the 2.1 million plug-in passenger cars and light-duty vehicles sold in September.

Unsurprisingly, Rho Motion’s data reveals that China continues to lead the way with a total of 1.3 million EVs and PHEVs sold last month, marking a 6 percent increase over the same month last year.

EV SALES 2005 YTD (JAN-OCT) VS 2024 YTD

• Global: 16.5 million, +23% 
• China: 10.3 million, +22%
• Europe: 3.4 million, +32%
• North America: 1.6 million, +4%
• Rest of World: 1.3 million, +48%

Over in Europe, October deliveries jumped 36 percent from last year to 372,786 units, including 32 percent growth in BEVs and an even steeper 47 percent climb in PHEVs. Although the total was down from the 427,000 vehicles registered in September, year-to-date EV growth across Europe remains at 32 percent.

Germany’s EV sales have risen 45 percent year-to-date, while the UK is up 31 percent. France, however, remains slightly in the red at minus 2 percent. Spain has more than doubled its tally, and Italy has matched Germany’s pace with a 45 percent year-to-date increase.

Beyond these regions, EV and PHEV sales in the rest of the world climbed 37 percent to 141,368 units. The contrast with North America, however, could hardly be sharper.

What Happened in North America?

After the Trump administration axed the EV tax credit worth up to $7,500 for newly-purchased and leased vehicles, sales in North America collapsed by 41 percent to 100,370, This follows record highs in August and September, when buyers rushed to secure incentives before the cutoff on September 30, 2025.

Month-on-month comparisons show how steep the drop was. Ford’s BEV sales fell 60 percent (Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, E-Transit), Hyundai’s plunged 77 percent (Ioniq models), Kia’s dropped 77 percent (EV6, EV9), Honda’s fell 83 percent (Prologue), and Subaru’s nearly vanished, down 97 percent (Solterra). Each brand also saw year-over-year declines.

In Canada, Rho Motion says EV sales have stayed sluggish through 2025, weighed down by reduced purchase incentives and the government’s decision in September to pause the 2026 EV mandate.

Market Outlook

Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester expects the European and Chinese markets to remain strong through the rest of the year: “In Europe, the overall year-to-date growth figure remains relatively high and we’re expecting strong sales towards the end of the year,” he told Reuters.

He added that the Chinese market should stay robust through November and December, aided by a “pull forward” effect as the country transitions from a full purchase tax exemption on new energy vehicles to a 50 percent exemption.

A demonstrator stands outside the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisc., in 2022 to commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Researchers have launched a new survey to determine the prevalence of brain injuries in Native survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, recalled a Native mother in her 30s who started having memory loss and other dementia-like symptoms.

The woman had suffered multiple blows to her head and falls at the hands of her husband over the years. He had wanted to disable her, to make it more difficult for her to keep her children if she tried to leave him, Echo-Hawk said.

Many Native women have traumatic brain injury symptoms as a direct result of abuse, Echo-Hawk said. Tribal health advocates and groups serving survivors have long been aware of the problem, she said, but there has been little national research documenting the extent of it.

“It’s a very difficult thing to see,” said Echo-Hawk, of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. “This is a pressing concern.”

The Urban Indian Health Institute, an Indigenous health research group, this month launched a first-of-its-kind national survey of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women to determine the prevalence of brain injuries in Native survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The goal is to illuminate the extent of the problem, guide clinicians, raise public awareness and direct resources.

A 2015 study in Arizona found a higher incidence of traumatic brain injuries in Native women in that state, but the new survey is the first national, Indigenous-led study of its kind, according to the institute.

It comes as domestic violence groups across the nation are struggling with federal funding delays caused by the government shutdown. As the impasse continues, the Trump administration has furloughed grant workers at the Office on Violence Against Women, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Traumatic brain injuries can cause memory loss, confusion and long-term behavioral changes and raise the risk of dementia. Some abusers intentionally inflict traumatic brain injuries on their victims because it doesn’t leave visible bruises, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.

The link between domestic violence and traumatic brain injuries has been documented in women generally, and the effects of such injuries have been studied in former football players and veterans. But research on Native communities is lacking. Even when victims show up in ERs, their cases can go underreported.

In a previous survey of survivors, some Native women reported broken teeth, evidence of blows to the head, Echo-Hawk said. But pushing and strangulation also can cause traumatic brain injuries.

Violence is a public health crisis among American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women, who are overrepresented in intimate partner violence statistics. Fifty-five percent report experiencing intimate partner violence, and a disproportionate number of Native women and girls are murdered or go missing.

In a 2020 survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 44% of American Indian and Alaska Native women reported being raped in their lifetime.

“People are losing their children because of memory loss and dementia,” Echo-Hawk said. “When people are experiencing intimate partner violence, they end up in ERs. Their children suffer. The whole community suffers as a direct result. And the same with the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.”

Doctors and other hospital staff should receive more training on brain injuries and should know which communities are most likely to experience violence, said Nikki Cristobal, policy and research specialist for Pouhana ʻO Nā Wāhine, a nonprofit domestic violence resource center for Native Hawaiians.

Cristobal said one survivor told her clinicians hadn’t performed a brain scan or traumatic brain injury assessment on her, despite her ongoing psychological and cognitive symptoms. “It never occurred to anybody,” she said.

“We have to talk more about it,” said Cristobal, who worked with Echo-Hawk on developing the survey and is the principal investigator for the Missing and Murdered Native Hawaiian Women, Girls and Mahu state task force.

Native communities, including Native Hawaiians, have endured long-term, intergenerational traumas during colonization and forced assimilation that can’t be ignored when targeting the disproportionate rates of violence, Cristobal said.

“It’s the undercurrent,” Cristobal said. “It’s the precursor.”

Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org.

Once hailed as a maverick genius we could all get behind, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has earned plenty of haters over the last few years as a result of his controversial political stances and affiliations.

Moreover, a new study has just confirmed what we all suspected all along: that those politics have cost Tesla billions of dollars in lost sales revenue.

How Bad Is the Damage?

Tesla US vehicle sales dropped by between 1 million and 1.26 million between October 2022 and April 2025, according to The National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of economists based at Yale University.

Related: Musk’s Tesla Payday Is So Absurd Even The Pope Had Something To Say

The authors estimate Teslas sales during that period should have been 67-83 percent higher. Some of those disaffected would-be buyers were pushed into the arms of rival carmakers, whose electric and hybrid vehicle sales grew by roughly 17-22 percent as a result, the study claims.

Among the actions that Tesla’s traditionally Democrat-voting customer base found offensive were his donation of $300 million to Republican candidates in the run up to the 2024 presidential election. The move marked a clear political shift that unsettled parts of his core audience.

Further controversy followed when Musk accepted a position with Donald Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and voiced support for far-right political parties abroad, including Germany’s AfD.

Together, these choices reshaped his public image and deepened the divide between his business ventures and their once-loyal fan base.

The study suggests Musk’s behavior and its effect on sales negatively impacted California’s work towards achieving net zero emissions, derailing its plans to meet 2026 targets.

A Partial Rebound?

Even so, the researchers note that public sentiment toward the Tesla CEO had improved since Musk shifted his attention away from Donald Trump and back toward technology, namely robotaxis, self-driving cars and its fledgling robot business.

Tesla’s global sales are still projected to fall by about 10 percent this year, but that hasn’t slowed Musk’s ambitions. He’s now pushing for a $1 trillion pay package, which shareholders are set to vote on next month.

If approved, it would be by far the largest compensation deal ever granted to a corporate executive. Tesla chairman Robyn Denholm has written to shareholders warning that Musk could walk away if the cash doesn’t come through.

There was no getting around the fact that EV sales would take a massive blow without government subsidies. $7,500 is no small amount of cash, and tacking it onto the price of a car will make most vehicles way less appealing.

If J.D. Power is right, the loss of that credit has had an even larger impact on the EV market than many in the industry expected.

How Deep Is The Dip?

The research firm, working with GlobalData, predicts 54,673 EV retail sales for October. If that figure holds, it represents a 43.1 percent decline compared with October 2024, when 96,085 electric vehicles were sold. That would also mean a slide in market share from 8.5 percent to just 5.2 percent.

More: Germany Brings Back EV Incentives To Save Its Auto Industry

That’s a massive drop from the way September went. EVs hit a record 12.9 percent of the market that month, yet if October’s projected 54,673 EV sales come true, it would mark a 59.9 percent drop from September’s 136,211 units.

“The automotive industry is experiencing a significant recalibration in the electric vehicle segment,” said J.D. Power data analyst Tyson Jominy. “The recent EV market correction underscores a critical lesson: Consumers prefer having access to a range of powertrain options.”

Perhaps the wildest bit of this entire thing is that it could’ve been even worse for EVs. Many brands, including Hyundai, GM, and Tesla, rolled out different methods to ease the pain of losing the federal tax credit.

Had they not done those things, like cutting total costs, rolling out new cheaper models, and more… the hit would’ve no doubt been even harder.

Sales & SAAR Comparison

¹ Figures for Oct 2025 are forecasts based on the first 16 selling days of the month.
² October 2025 has 27 selling days, the same as October 2024.

Automotive executives also believe the EV market will stabilize and continue to grow over time. Both Ford’s current CEO and former CEO agreed on that point recently. Obviously, only time will tell.

Rising Prices, Fewer Discounts

Another interesting find is that average transaction prices are climbing as the EV share drops. The typical new-vehicle sold in October is expected to hit $46,057, about $1,000 higher than last year. Incentive spending has slipped to $2,674 per vehicle, roughly five percent of MSRP.

Analysts say the pullback in incentives largely stems from fewer EV sales. “EVs usually carry far steeper discounts,” noted one researcher. Average EV discounts rose to $13,161 as brands tried to offset lost tax credits, while non-EV discounts fell to $2,423, helping boost overall profitability despite softer EV demand.

It’s no secret that government incentives have played a huge role in fueling America’s appetite for electric vehicles. Without them, enthusiasm tends to cool fast.

So it’s hardly shocking that many former EV owners say they’d consider returning to battery power only if a generous incentive were back on the table, according to a recent study from The Harris Poll.

Read: Expiring EV Tax Credit Sent Tesla Sales Into Overdrive But Its Flagships Crashed

The survey, conducted between September 23 and 25, included responses from 2,095 adults across the United States. Of these, 1,675 participants, or about 80 percent, said they plan to buy or lease a new or used vehicle in the future. Within that group, 485 respondents, roughly 29 percent, said they were extremely or somewhat likely to choose an EV.

What Would It Take?

Among respondents who had previously owned or driven an electric vehicle but later switched away, 60 percent said they would need an incentive of at least $5,000 to consider returning to an EV.

A further 30 percent said they would need an incentive of between $2,500 and $4,999 to reconsider, while 11 percent said they would be willing to accept an incentive of less than $2,500.

Senior consultant at The Harris Poll, Greg Paratore, acknowledged that affordability remains the top concern for 64 percent of EV buyers.

Automakers Step In

While the removal of the new and used EV tax credit will impact demand for electric cars, Paratore noted that automakers could use the removal of the credit to build extra trust with consumers by helping to share the added cost burden.

For example, Hyundai recently announced it’s cutting prices of the 2026 Ioniq 5 by a significant $9,800 in the wake of the tax credit’s removal. Additionally, Hyundai is offering a $7,500 cash incentive on the remaining 2025 Ioniq 5s that it has in its inventory.

Meanwhile, Ford chief executive Jim Farley warned that EV demand in the U.S. could tumble by as much as half due to the tax credit’s removal. If that happens, electric vehicles could see their market share shrink to around 5 percent, a figure last recorded in 2022.