As Tesla continues to shed consumers over its founder Elon Musk’s political stint with the Trump administration, other automakers like General Motors are taking advantage of the growing gap in the electric vehicle market. 

Tesla’s sales have continuously dropped throughout this year, with the EV manufacturer only delivering 384,122 vehicles during the second quarter of 2025. This is substantially down, around 13.5%, from 444,000 delivered during Q2 of last year. 

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While technically up from the total number of vehicles delivered during the first quarter, Tesla also reported a drop in sales during Q1, with only 336,681 EVs sold. 

As motorists have turned their backs on Tesla, other automakers appear to have quietly taken advantage of remaining interest among consumers. 

General Motors, for example, reported this week that it sold 78,167 EVs in 2025 so far — more than a 100% increase compared to the same period last year. More than half of those were sold in the second quarter. 

The automaker claimed its Chevrolet division was the bestselling EV brand nationwide during the second quarter. 

This comes one month after GM said the company as a whole was considered to be the #2 seller of EVs in the U.S.

“Customers are responding in record numbers to our world-class portfolio of electric and gas-powered vehicles,” Rory Harvey, executive VP and president of global markets, said in June. 

“In the first two months of the second quarter, we more than doubled our EV sales compared to the same period last year,” Harvey added. 

Analysts have said that GM’s success is in part due to declining levels of trust among consumers when it comes to Tesla, as many believed Musk soured on the brand’s name during his close engagement with President Donald Trump during the first 100 days of his administration. 

Musk worked closely with the White House during the first 100 days of Trump’s administration, spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to slash the size of the federal government and federal spending. 

Musk’s alliance with the administration sparked protests against Tesla worldwide, with some dealerships and Tesla drivers even facing vandalism and violent attacks in some cases. 

In March, demonstrators held a “Tesla Takedown Global Day of Action” with more than 200 protests scheduled at Tesla-affiliated locations across the country. 

More recently, Musk and Trump engaged in a public feud on social media over Republican lawmakers’ mega tax and policy spending legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

The bill, passed by Congress on Thursday afternoon, moved to cut several green initiatives and tax credits that have benefited Musk and his businesses like Tesla.  

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Some analysts have also noted that Tesla’s drop in sales is driven by the phasing out of these federal tax credits, including the Clean Vehicle Credit, now set to end in September. This credit currently offers consumers a $7,500 credit for purchasing plug-in vehicles. 

As Tesla recovers from Musk’s drama with the White House, analysts have indicated that stability and a greater variety from other companies like GM has a big appeal for EV consumers.  

Maydeen Merino contributed to this report.