Tesla’s Cybertruck made waves with its futuristic design and hype-fueled debut, but the first quarter of 2025 brings a sobering reality check. Despite a promising start in late 2023, Tesla’s electric pickup has lost its crown. The once-dominant force in the EV truck segment has now slipped to second place.
According to S&P Global Mobility, Ford’s F-150 Lightning has surged ahead with 7,913 new registrations in Q1 2025, edging out the Tesla Cybertruck’s 7,126. While still competitive, this drop signals the second straight quarter of declining Cybertruck sales. For perspective, Tesla’s pickup sold 16,692 units in Q3 2023, which dipped to 12,991 in Q4, and now hovers at just over 7,000 in the new year. Even Cox Automotive puts that number lower, reporting 6,404 units sold between January and March.
Trailing behind Tesla and Ford, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T, and GMC Hummer EV rounded out the rankings.
Notably, Tesla doesn’t break down its vehicle sales by individual models, making registration data the only concrete method to track its market performance. While it’s fair to acknowledge that Q1 2024 was the first full sales quarter for the Cybertruck, expectations were sky-high. Instead, momentum has fizzled, marking a rare stumble for the EV juggernaut.
Meanwhile, Ford reclaims the top spot it briefly ceded last year. But the victory is a quiet one—sales figures for electric pickups remain underwhelming across the board. Even the best-performing model couldn’t break the 8,000-unit threshold in three months.
Despite heavy investments in electrifying America’s favorite vehicle category, automakers are facing an uphill battle. “The economics are unresolvable,” admitted Jim Farley, Ford’s CEO, during the company’s Q4 2024 earnings call. He explained that electric trucks and SUVs face unique challenges: “These customers have very demanding use cases… they tow, they go off-road, they take long road trips.” That kind of usage demands large batteries, which add significant weight and cost, while also reducing aerodynamic efficiency.
Farley added, “These vehicles have worse aerodynamics and they’re very heavy, which means very large and expensive batteries.” As a result, even Ford is rethinking its strategy, highlighted by Ram delaying its electric 1500 REV and Ramcharger models again. Rivian, another EV truck contender, also posted a year-over-year decline in deliveries for Q1.
Interestingly, while electric trucks are stalling, the broader EV market continues to grow, with a healthy 11.4% increase in sales compared to the same quarter last year.
