Hyundai tops electric vehicle rankings for 2025 while Tesla fails to make the cut

Hyundai, for the second year in a row, has topped the list of automakers with some of the best electric vehicles on the market, while wider known brands like Tesla failed to make the cut... 

Alex Kwanten, managing editor for U.S. News & World Report’s autos publications, which ranked the vehicles, said the publication evaluated 115 hybrids, hybrid plug-ins and electrics for the vehicle's fuel efficiency, battery range, price point and extra features to determine winners across 10 categories.

“We want to recommend the best blend for car buyers, not just what gets the best gas mileage," Kwanten told Newsday.

While Tesla cars have won recognition on U.S. News' annual rankings in the past, Kwanten said new models have been lacking, and that the automaker is "no longer at the top of its class." The company hasn't released a new consumer vehicle since the Cybertruck, which was introduced in 2019 and rolled out several years later. “You have to invest in new products constantly," he said.

Standard hybrids use a combination of an electric motor and gas engine, where the car’s batteries are charged by the vehicle’s inertia from braking. Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, can be charged via an external power source like fully electric automobiles, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6, which sells for $42,450 and has electric mileage of 240 miles, took the Best Electric Car ranking for 2025, with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tucson Hybrid taking the designations of Best Electric SUV and Best Hybrid SUV, respectively. according to U.S. News.

Other winners this year include the $80,974 Ford F-150 Lightning, which won Best Electric Truck, the $69,900 Lucid Air, which was named Best Luxury Electric Car, and the Toyota Camry which won the title Best Hybrid Car, according to the rankings.

For advocates of electric vehicles on Long Island, the ever-expanding list of new battery-powered cars entering the market means more choices for consumers and more possible EV converts locally.

"We have so many more options now, not just in models but in the variety of sedans, crossovers, SUVs and trucks,” said Rosemary Mascali, education and outreach chair of Drive Electric Long Island coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group.

The group, started in 2018 and overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council — Long Island Chapter, teaches Islanders the basics of EV ownership and its benefits.

“We find that the best way to get people to consider an electric vehicle is to get them behind the wheel of one,” Mascali said.

Chris Lafakis, director of energy and climate economics at Moody’s Analytics, said adoption of electric vehicles has grown as the price of EVs has fallen.

“The main thing is the cost continues to come down,” Lafakis said. “If you look at 2008, the cost of an EV battery was $1,000 per kilowatt hour. Now, it’s down to $120 per kilowatt hour.”

Additionally, the convenience of avoiding gas stations has become a major draw for some consumers.

“You don’t have to go to the gas station; you can fill up at home,” Lafakis said.

Mascali said there’s been a marked increase in the number of electric cars on Long Island’s roads.

There were more than 71,000 EVs registered on Long Island by the end of last year, representing 26% of all 271,000 EVs registered in New York State last year, according to Drive Electric’s 2025 State of Electric Vehicles on Long Island report. Over the past year, the Island's total number of EVs on the road increased by 39%, according to Drive Electric.

“When we started this coalition, we had 8,000 EVs on the road,” Mascali said.

Local car salespersons said the increasing volume of new electric models is helping grow interest among shoppers who are increasingly looking for cost savings.

“We’re definitely getting more out on the road,” said Michael Mensah, client adviser and salesperson at dealership BMW of Freeport.

Mensah said more and more Islanders are becoming familiar with EVs, though concerns persist about access to charging stations. There were nearly 400 charging locations on Long Island last year, according to Drive Electric.

Tesla stock has been on a steady decline since late last year, dropping over 47% from $479 a share in December to $241.55 Wednesday. The company has faced growing competition from other EV makers and like many auto manufacturers, has been rattled by the uncertainty of President Donald Trump's tariffs.