Best Selling Electric Cars: These Are the Top EVs in the US for 2017

Here's a run down of the best selling electric cars in 2017. Many people believe that electrification is the future of the automobile. Some automakers disagree on what form that might take, because hydrogen fuel cells are a form of electrification, if you want to get technical. While the technology for those is still young, purely electric vehicles are being held as the next big thing and electric ranges are improving.Make no mistake: electric car sales in the United States are still nothing near what some projected eight years ago. Still, there’s no denying the importance of this growing segment. Those who pour resources into EV technology will be ahead of those that don’t.A whole wave of new EVs will be hitting streets next year. That’s when the market will truly get interesting. But for now, let’s see what the best selling electric cars were for 2017.BMW i3: 6,276 unitsComing in fifth place is BMW’s quirky little EV. Actually, it might be little on the outside, which is great for parking in tight spots downtown, but the interior is quite spacious. Still, it has a funky look that’s quite polarizing, but the 2018 models will have a toned-down appearance. Plus, the i3s range is in the mix for this year. Will those changes be enough for this Bimmer to rank better for 2018?Probably not, because the 2017 models were rated at a mere 97 miles for electric-only range. Of course, you can get the i3 with a gasoline engine that acts like a generator, and that boosts range to 180 miles. That’s still not super impressive.BMW probably won’t be too competitive in the EV space until the iNext hits the market.Nissan Leaf: 11,230At one point, the Nissan Leaf was the EV to own, and it topped the sales charts. For 2017, the little hatchback claims the fourth spot. But big changes for the 2018 model year could rocket this car up higher on the results for this year. After all, the new model is cheaper and goes almost 50 miles further on a single charge.The 2017 Leaf electric cars aren’t exactly sexy, and they contain old tech. People shopping for EVs tend to be early adopters who want the latest and greatest of everything. Still, the 2018 model isn’t as sleek as Tesla cars, but it is quite a bit cheaper. We’ll see how that shakes out at the close of this year.Tesla Model X: 21,315This big and heavy SUV with the falcon-wing rear doors has become a major status symbol in many upper-class neighborhoods. Not only can it go nearly 300 miles on a single charge, if you pop for the P100D version, it can out-accelerate many sports cars. Oh, and you could conceivably survive an airborne bioweapons attack, thanks to the advanced filtering on this EV.Considering the Model X isn’t exactly cheap, the fact Tesla sold so many last year is impressive. Now, if the California automaker could turn a profit on these things, that would be astounding.Chevrolet Bolt: 23,397It might surprise you to see a Chevy on this list. After all, General Motors and advanced technology aren’t always associated in everyone’s minds. It’s time to forget what you think you might know, because the Chevrolet Bolt is the real deal. There’s a good reason it landed in second place for EV sales in 2017.First off, this car can go 238 miles on a single charge. Yet, it only costs about $37,000, before electric car tax credits. You get the kind of range available through many Tesla models, but at a fraction of the cost. Even the Model 3 will be hard-pressed to compete against this thing.Granted, the Bolt lacks sexy exterior styling. But, it’s not bad-looking, either. Ditto on the interior, including the 10.2-inch color touchscreen. That tailgate opens wide, with 56.6 cubic feet of max cargo space. In other words, there’s a lot to love about the Chevy Bolt, so it likely will continue to rank high in EV sales for 2018.Tesla Model S: 27,060The EV that proved you didn’t have to sacrifice good looks to go all-electric still tops the list of the best selling electric cars. This car has plenty of positive qualities, including 315 miles of range, if you get the P100D. Other features include adaptive LED headlights, semi-autonomous safety systems, an absolutely massive touchscreen for the center stack, and an interior that overall is pretty comfortable.Believe it or not, the Model S is getting a little long in the tooth, but not by much. The redesigned nose freshened up the looks some, but as the auto industry moves, Tesla hopefully is cooking up a new generation.A whole range of electric car competitors are coming from other luxury automakers next year, so we might not see the Model S stay at the top of the sales charts.There's a chance the Model S's little brother, the Model 3, could top the list in a the coming years. It probably would have in 2017 had Tesla worked out its production challenges. But for now, the Tesla Model S is the EV to beat, and for many good reasons.

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