The sweet spot of the auto market isnt hard to find. Millions of American drivers only want one thing: a small- to medium-sized SUV, with a small- to medium-sized price tag.
Its a huge, lucrative market comprising around half of new-car sales in the U.S. but one that few electric vehicles have managed to enter. In 2026, however, that will change. Carmakers are planning to roll out at least six new electric SUVs in the U.S. this year with price tags at or below $35,000, products that could help a ease a slowdown in EV sales.
EVs have to move more into the mass market and there are launches that are now squarely hitting that, said Nathan Niese, Boston Consulting Groups global lead for electric vehicles. Its whats going to prop up what otherwise would be a down year.
EV sales have surged in recent years, as carmakers improved range and charging speed, while federal incentives helped entice buyers. Relatively high costs, however, remained the last speed bump to mass adoption. Of the roughly 60 electric cars and trucks for sale in the U.S. last year, only three could be had for less than $35,000; the median starting sticker price was $59,100, nearly $10,000 higher than the average price for all vehicles.
When federal subsidies disappeared in September, EV sales swooned. The message for the c-suites of Detroit was clear: Price is at least as important as powertrain preference, if not more. Many auto executives have since slowed their EV plans and shifted some production back to gas-powered models that they can build (and price) more affordably.
Anything you can do to make a customer feel youve given them a more affordable product is an advantage to them right now, said Nick Nigro, founder of Atlas Public Policy.
The good news for auto executives: a steady drop in battery prices has improved the economics of EVs, opening a lane for small new models.
The end of the EV subsidies does not necessarily spell bad news across the board, BloombergNEF analyst Huiling Zhou wrote in a recent report. Carmakers that can cut costs and offer affordable models in the most desirable vehicle segments are likely to see sustained sales growth.
Heres a look at the EVs that will likely find plenty of interest in 2026.
Nissan Leaf
Nissan has long known the sales magic of an affordable EV. Since its debut 15 years ago, the Leaf has parked itself in nearly 1 million households driveways and garages, despite its modest range and quirky, hatchback design. For the 2026 iteration, Nissan overhauled the car for the first time in nearly eight years, upsizing it to the SUV category. The end result seems to have shed many of the models quirks and compromises.
For one, the new Leaf no longer looks cartoonish, according to reviewers. Gone is the near-obsolete CHAdeMo charging port thats akin to a Betamax videotape, replaced by a traditional CCS charging receptacle on the drivers side and a NACS port (better known as the Tesla plug) on the passengers side. It does retain one important feature of past Leafs: The new model still slips under the $30,000 threshold.
Chevrolet Bolt
General Motors has a similar overhaul in the works for its Chevrolet Bolt, another affordable machine that won a crowd of buyers right up until the company pulled the plug on the model in 2023. Chevy revealed the resurrected iteration of the small SUV in October and its set to go on sale early this year. The car looks pretty much the same and the driving range is similar, but the reborn Bolt is powered by a new battery that will cost far less and charge far more quickly than the previous version. The Bolt also has GMs hands-free driving system dubbed Super Cruise and is now capable of bidirectional charging, which means it can provide power in a blackout or whenever else you need it.
Toyota C-HR BEV
The company calls the coming C-HR a coupe-like SUV. While the description reads like an oxymoron, its one that plays well with US tastes in car design. The machine is big enough for a hefty Costco run, but small enough to park in a compact space. And the new Toyota ride offers nearly 300 miles of range while coming with standard all-wheel drive, which typically compromises efficiency. Toyota teamed up with Subaru to develop the platform for this new small electric SUV, a bit of cost-sharing that will help keep the sticker price around $35,000.
Subaru Uncharted
The Subaru side of the Toyota partnership is the Uncharted, an SUV that will be a little smaller than the brands other electric offering, the Solterra. With the base model starting around $35,000 buyers can forgo all-wheel drive for about 15 more miles between charges. Among SUV owners, Subaru ranks second in brand loyalty, meaning Crosstrek and Outback drivers waiting to go electric will finally have more than one option.
Kia EV3
Kia has already checked the medium and large boxes in its EV product line; now, its steering for small. The EV3, which is expected to sell for about $35,000, will slide just behind the brands EV6 size-wise even as its boxy design echoes the EV9, a bulky, three-row SUV. Kia is also planning to give buyers some unique color choices, from shale grey to frost clue.
Slate
Cheap EVs arent just the realm of incumbents. Startup Slate is swooping in with plans to deliver its first machine by year-end. The companys first vehicle, which can be converted from pickup to SUV, is to a Ford F-150 what an Ikea futon is to a Pottery Barn sectional. The base version the company calls it the blank Slate is best described by what it isnt. It lacks a touchscreen, cooled seats, all-wheel drive and a stereo. What Slate promises in return is a sticker price in the mid-$20,000s.
At the companys launch event last year, Chief Executive Officer Chris Barman delivered what has since become a bit of a stump speech for cheap EVs. The definition of whats affordable is broken, she said.
Stock writes for Bloomberg.
汽车市场的黄金区间并不难寻。数以百万计的美国车主只想要一样东西：一款价格适中的中小型SUV。
这是一个规模庞大且利润丰厚的市场——约占美国新车销量的一半——但鲜有电动汽车能够成功打入。然而到2026年，这一局面将发生改变。汽车制造商计划今年在美国推出至少六款新型电动SUV，其售价均在3.5万美元或更低，这些产品或将缓解电动汽车销量增速放缓的现状。
波士顿咨询集团全球电动汽车业务负责人内森·尼斯（Nathan Niese）表示：“电动汽车必须进一步打入大众市场，而目前推出的车型正精准瞄准这一目标。这将支撑起原本可能表现低迷的一年。”
近年来，随着汽车制造商不断提升电动车的续航里程和充电速度，加之联邦政府推出购车激励政策，电动汽车销量激增。然而，相对较高的成本仍是阻碍其大规模普及的最后一道门槛。去年美国市场在售的约60款电动车型中，仅有三款售价低于3.5万美元；其中位数起步价高达5.91万美元，比所有车型的平均售价高出近1万美元。
随着9月份联邦补贴的取消，电动汽车销量急剧下滑。这一现象向底特律车企高管们传递了一个明确信号：价格因素的重要性，即便不高于动力系统偏好，至少也与之相当。此后，多家汽车企业高管纷纷放缓电动车计划，并将部分产能重新转向成本（及定价）更可控的燃油车型。
“在当前形势下，任何能让顾客感受到你提供了更实惠产品的举措，对他们而言都是一种优势。”阿特拉斯公共政策公司创始人尼克·尼格罗（Nick Nigro）表示。
对汽车行业高管而言，这无疑是个好消息：电池价格的持续下跌提升了电动汽车的经济性，为小型新车型的推出开辟了道路。
彭博新能源财经分析师周惠玲在最新报告中指出："电动汽车补贴的终结未必意味着全面利空，那些能够降低成本并在最受欢迎的车型领域提供经济实惠产品的车企，很可能实现持续的销量增长。"
以下是2026年可能备受关注的电动汽车前瞻。
日产聆风
日产汽车深谙平价电动车的销售魔力。尽管续航里程有限且采用略显另类的两厢设计，但自15年前首次亮相以来，**聆风**（Leaf）已驶入近百万家庭的停车道和车库。针对2026款车型，日产近八年来首次对该车进行彻底改造，将其升级为SUV车型。最终成果似乎摒弃了该车型原有的诸多妥协与奇特设计。
首先，评测人员认为新款聆风（Leaf）不再显得“卡通化”。曾被比作贝塔磁带（Betamax）的近乎淘汰的CHAdeMo充电接口已被移除，取而代之的是驾驶员侧的传统CCS充电接口和副驾驶侧的NACS接口（即特斯拉充电口）。新车保留了历代聆风的一个重要特点：售价仍控制在3万美元以下。
雪佛兰Bolt
通用汽车正对其雪佛兰Bolt进行类似的升级改造。这款经济型车型在2023年停产前曾赢得大量消费者青睐。雪佛兰于去年10月发布了这款小型SUV的复活版本，并计划于今年初上市销售。新车外观基本保持不变，续航里程也相差无几，但全新Bolt搭载了成本更低、充电速度大幅提升的新电池组。该车型还配备了通用汽车旗下名为"超级巡航"的免提驾驶系统，并新增双向充电功能，这意味着它能在停电或其他需要时提供电力支持。
丰田C-HR纯电动版
该公司将即将推出的C-HR称为“轿跑风格SUV”。尽管这一描述看似矛盾，却恰好迎合了美国消费者对汽车设计的偏好。这款车空间充裕，足以应对大型仓储超市的采购需求，同时车身紧凑，便于在狭小空间停放。全新丰田车型在标配全轮驱动系统（通常会影响能效）的情况下，仍能提供近300英里的续航里程。丰田与斯巴鲁合作开发了这款小型电动SUV的平台，通过成本分摊策略，使其标价控制在约3.5万美元。
斯巴鲁未解之谜
丰田与斯巴鲁合作推出的电动车型名为Uncharted，这款SUV的尺寸略小于斯巴鲁另一款电动车型Solterra。基础款起售价约3.5万美元，若选择放弃全轮驱动配置，续航里程可增加约15英里。在SUV品牌忠诚度排行榜上，斯巴鲁位列第二，这意味着期待电动化的Crosstrek和Outback车主终于能拥有更多选择。
起亚EV3
起亚已在电动车产品线中完成了"中型"和"大型"车型布局，如今正将目光转向小型车领域。预计售价约3.5万美元的EV3，尺寸略小于该品牌的EV6，但其方正的设计语言却与三排座大型SUV EV9一脉相承。此外，起亚还将为消费者提供从"页岩灰"到"霜雾蓝"等独特配色选择。
Slate
廉价电动汽车并非传统车企的专属领域。初创公司Slate正迅速切入市场，计划在年底前交付其首款车型。该公司的首款车型可在皮卡与SUV之间自由切换，其与福特F-150的差异，堪比宜家折叠床与Pottery Barn组合沙发的区别。基础版被公司称为「空白石板」，其特点更适合用「缺少什么」来描述：没有触控屏、通风座椅、四轮驱动和音响系统。但Slate承诺以2.5万美元左右的价格作为补偿。
在去年公司的发布会上，首席执行官克里斯·巴尔曼（Chris Barman）发表了一番关于廉价电动车的演说，如今这番话已成为其标志性言论。她表示：“当前对‘经济实惠’的定义已经失效。”
斯托克为彭博社撰稿。
全部评论 （0）