Florida leads the Southeast in EV sales as a federal tax incentive sunsets

Florida leads the Southeast in EV sales as a federal tax incentive sunsets

WUSF |
By
Jessica Meszaros

Published September 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT

Tesla EV in the parking lot of Lands End Marina in Apollo Beach.

More than one out of every 10 new cars sold in the state is electric, which is above the national average.

More electric vehicles are sold in Florida than anywhere in the southeastern United States, an analysis by Southern Alliance for Clean Energy shows.

And sales are expected to remain strong even after a federal tax incentive ends next week.

Total sales for electric vehicles have grown 42% in Florida since last year. More than one out of every 10 new cars sold in the state is electric, which is above the national average.

On a recent webinar, the founder of the data and research firm Atlas Public Policy, Nick Nigro, said Florida is an "attractive" place for EVs.

"It's very flat. It's very warm. It's very conducive to electric vehicles because you get a lot more predictability over the range of the vehicle," he said.

"If you look at the top vehicles in Florida ... It's the Tesla Model Y, it's the Chevy Equinox EV. These are the same vehicles that are most popular nationally," he continued.

Even though EVs are really popular in the state, Nigro said, Florida hasn't taken enough advantage of federal funding to increase the number of fast-charging stations.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which was funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, was the largest investment in EV charging in U.S. history at $5 billion.

Nigro said Florida is slacking on these funds.

"Florida, where are you? You've got to get off the dime. Florida, of all the states in the country, is falling the farthest behind and taking advantage of these federal dollars," he said.

He encouraged the state to use it while it's available, saying Florida has a "really great EV market."

"And I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate having more fast chargers available for them to use," he continued.

In January 2025, Florida was awarded $37 million in Round 2 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grants, which is more than any other state in the Southeast.

According to the SACE transportation report, Florida came second per capita for charging stations in the region and 21st in the nation, with 3,502 fast-charging ports and 8,665 level 2 ports.

Separately, consumers are fast approaching a deadline: They have until Tuesday to utilize a federal tax incentive of up to $7,500 to purchase or lease a new or used electric or hybrid vehicle from former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The breaks were supposed to last until 2032, but were phased out sooner by President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Nigro said the country is heading toward full vehicle electrification, even without the federal tax credit.

"Probably about less than half of the vehicles that were being sold in the last year even qualified for the credit. So, a lot of vehicles are being purchased by Americans without the credit in place," he said.

Although, Nigro added, the timeline for electrification is going to be stretched out a bit.