Cadillac EV Sales Drop a Third Without the Tax Credit; the Optiq Holds Steady

Cadillac sold 12,358 electric vehicles in the US from July through September, down 32.8% from the same quarter of 2025, according to GM's third-quarter delivery report released October 1, 2026. The drop looks steep, but the comparison is with Cadillac's record EV quarter, when shoppers hurried to claim the $7,500 federal credit before it ended. Against a US EV market that Cox Automotive estimates shrank 39.5%, Cadillac held up better than most brands, and the Optiq barely moved.

Model by model

Third-quarter deliveries, with the change from a year earlier:

• Optiq: 4,550, down 6.9%
• Lyriq: 3,617, down 50.5%
• Vistiq: 2,587, down 34.1%
• Escalade IQ and IQL: 1,604, down 29.2%

The compact Optiq was the best-selling EV across all of GM in the quarter, ahead of the returning Chevrolet Bolt at 3,866. The Lyriq, Cadillac's first EV and its former volume leader, took the biggest hit and sold about half as many as a year earlier.

Over the first nine months, the picture is gentler. Cadillac's EV deliveries total 34,125, down 10.6%. The Optiq is up 18.4% to 11,633 and the Vistiq up 14.5% to 6,490, both helped by having been on sale for a full year. The Lyriq is down 32.7% to 11,195, and the Escalade IQ and IQL are down 20.3% to 4,807.

EVs made up 38% of Cadillac's 32,560 sales in the quarter, and about 34% of its sales so far this year. Cadillac's total was down 30%, with the Escalade, XT5 and XT6 all falling; the CT5 was the brand's only nameplate to grow, up 4.1%. GM said the CT5 Blackwing had its best third quarter ever.

The credit effect

The IRS stopped allowing the new, used and commercial clean vehicle credits for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. That pulled demand forward into the summer of 2025, when Cadillac's EV sales jumped 154% year over year and electric models made up nearly 40% of the brand's volume. A year later, GM's overall EV deliveries fell 61.7% to 25,473, so Cadillac's four models now account for nearly half of GM's EV deliveries.

Cox's Kelley Blue Book estimates put Cadillac fourth among EV brands in the quarter, behind Tesla, Rivian and Toyota and just ahead of Hyundai. Among traditional luxury brands it was far ahead: BMW sold an estimated 4,945 EVs and Mercedes-Benz 2,701. GM says Cadillac gained 1.3 percentage points of luxury EV share through August.

Autoevolution's reading is that luxury buyers lean less on federal subsidies than budget shoppers, which would explain why Chevrolet's EVs fell much harder. The Equinox EV, for instance, dropped 92.4%.

Buyer brief

What it means for buyers and owners

• The sticker is the real price now. With no federal credit for new EVs, compare out-the-door prices including any Cadillac or dealer incentives. The commercial credit that leasing companies often passed through as lease cash ended at the same time, so EV lease payments no longer include that $7,500 boost.
• Used shoppers lost a credit too. The used clean vehicle credit of up to $4,000 also ended, which matters if you were eyeing a lightly used Lyriq.
• Ask about leftover 2026 cars. With Lyriq deliveries at half last year's pace, it is worth asking dealers how long a 2026 car has been in stock. An older unit usually leaves more room to negotiate than a fresh 2027.
• Mind the charge port. The 2026 Optiq already has a native NACS port for Tesla Superchargers. GM says every 2027 Cadillac EV will too, while 2026 Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ models use CCS and need an adapter at Superchargers.
• Owners are not affected. Cadillac's 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty and its service network do not depend on quarterly sales, and Cadillac is still selling more than 12,000 EVs a quarter.