Hyundai Sales Are Soaring Thanks To Hybrids
The Korean automaker saw its best ever half-year of sales with one-third coming from electrified vehicles.
THE BREAKDOWN
- Hyundai reports its best first half of sales in company history to start 2026.
- Hybrids now account for 33% of sales.
- Hybrid sales are up 74% in June 2026.
2026 is off to a great start for Korean automaker Hyundai. The company's local arm, Hyundai Motor America, just published its June sales numbers, which include figures for Q2 and the first half of 2026. Hyundai has 450,568 reasons to celebrate.
Hyundai posted 450,568 units sold through the first half of 2026, a 3.0 percent increase over last year when it sold 439,280 vehicles. This is the best first half of sales in company history, which was made possible by the best June ever. Hyundai moved 77,555 units last month, an 11.0 percent year-over-year increase. Q2 sales totaled 245,180 units, up 4.0 percent.
June was a particularly strong month for a slew of Hyundai models across a variety of segments. The following models saw year-over-year increases compared to June 2025:
- Elantra (up 22.0%)
- Ioniq 9 (up 21.0%)
- Palisade (up 23.0%)
- Santa Fe (up 1.0%)
- Sonata (up 36.0%)
- Tucson (up 20.0%)
- Venue (up 20.0%)
Looking more granularly, Hyundai saw massive growth with its electrified models in the month of June. The Santa Fe Hybrid improved by 12.0 percent, the Tucson Hybrid increased by 14.0 percent, and Sonata Hybrid sales were up by 246.0 percent.
Overall, Hyundai hybrids saw 74.0 percent sales growth compared to June 2025, 71.0 percent in Q2, and 67.0 percent so far in the first half of the year
| Model | 2026 YTD Sales | 2025 YTD Sales | % Change |
| Elantra | 79,839 | 74,768 | 7% |
| Ioniq 5 | 20,730 | 19,092 | 9% |
| Ioniq 6 | 1,241 | 6,322 | -80% |
| Ioniq 9 | 4,858 | 1,013 | 380% |
|
Kona |
36,169 | 39,828 | -9% |
| Palisade | 63,453 | 57,197 | 11% |
| Santa Cruz | 9,981 | 14,221 | -30% |
| Santa Fe | 64,003 | 65,078 | -2% |
| Sonata | 37,057 | 32,986 | 12% |
| Tucson | 117,612 | 113,310 | 4% |
| Venue | 15,625 | 15,463 | 1% |
Hyundai says electrified vehicles, counting hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles, now account for 33.0 percent of the company's sales. If you take hybrids out of the equation and only count EVs, that percentage is likely much lower, but it's impossible to say for sure because Hyundai doesn't separate Kona Electric sales from overall Kona numbers.
The Kona Electric isn't a big seller, which is why that model is skipping the 2026 model year. If we only include the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 9, EVs accounted for 26,829 units, around 5.9 percent of sales. The Ioniq 6 was also discontinued (excluding the Ioniq 6 N), so it's unsurprising to see sales down 80.0 percent this year. Ioniq 5 sales are up 9.0 percent to 20,730 units despite the expiration of the federal tax credit, while Ioniq 9 sales have skyrocketed 380.0 percent, albeit to a modest 4,858 units.
Motor1's Take: Hyundai recently expressed interest in following Toyota's lead, making some models hybrid only. Based on the success of its hybrid models, this seems like a smart move.
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