The United States is in the middle of a long, uneven shift in how its vehicles are powered. Federal tax credits, state-level rebate programs, and significant investment in charging infrastructure have accelerated EV adoption in some parts of the country. In others, internal combustion engine vehicles remain the overwhelming norm, shaped by rural geography, fuel availability, economic factors, and consumer preference.
As policymakers continue to debate emissions targets and automakers expand their EV lineups, understanding where different fuel types are actually gaining traction offers a clearer picture of where the national transition stands today.
A1 Auto Transport, a US-based vehicle shipping and logistics provider with over 30 years of experience moving vehicles across all 50 states and more than 190 countries, analysed the latest full-year 2024 data from the Alternative Fuels Data Centre (AFDC) Vehicle Registration dataset.
The study ranks all 50 states by their share of fully electric vehicles, ultra-low emissions vehicles (plug-in hybrids and standard hybrids combined), alternative fuel vehicles, and ICE vehicles. Each share was calculated as a percentage of a state's total registered fleet, with unknown fuel types excluded, to allow fair, like-for-like comparisons regardless of fleet size.
California, Washington, and Hawaii have long benefited from a combination of strong state-level EV incentives, high urban density, and well-developed charging infrastructure, and the registration data reflects that. California leads the table with an EV registration share of 4.10 percent, more than double the 1.75 percent recorded in tenth-placed Vermont. The gap between first and tenth underlines how concentrated EV adoption remains, even among the country's most EV-forward states.
The top ten is dominated by West Coast and Northeastern states. Washington (2.82 percent), Oregon (2.06 percent), and Hawaii (2.77 percent) all rank in the top three, reflecting the influence of state clean vehicle programs and higher concentrations of urban commuters. Nevada (2.54 percent) and Colorado (2.33 percent) represent the Mountain West, both states that have invested in EV infrastructure and offer purchase incentives at the state level.
Two Northeastern states, New Jersey (2.35 percent) and Maryland (1.90 percent), also make the top ten, pointing to a broader pattern of EV uptake in densely populated metro corridors along the East Coast. Florida (1.80 percent) is the one outlier geographically, ranking ninth despite being a large Sun Belt state without the same policy framework as California or the Pacific Northwest.
“The states at the top of this list share a few things in common” said Joe Webster, Marketing Director at A1 Auto Transport. “Strong policy support, growing charging networks, and populations that are concentrated in urban areas where EV ownership is more practical. California has had a head start on all of those fronts, which is why its lead is so significant.”
While EVs and hybrids draw most of the headlines, internal combustion engine vehicles (gasoline and diesel combined) still account for the vast majority of registrations in every state in the country.
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