California New Car Dealers Association’s first-quarter (Q1) report, published on April 22, showed that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) made significant gains in terms of electric vehicle (EV) market share.
Specifically, Elon Musk’s company accounted for 56% of all ‘zero emissions’ automobiles sold for an 11.8% increase compared to the same quarter in 2025. The rise demonstrates that Tesla retains strong brand recognition and popularity relative to its peers, but unfortunately, it does not come without a caveat.
Indeed, while the market share of the EV maker rose, the actual number of cars sold – as well as the overall number of ‘zero emissions’ vehicles sold – declined significantly.
Tesla ships 31,958 EVs in California in Q1, 2026
Out of the 95,520 such automobiles registered in Q1, 2025, 44.2% – or 42,211 – were Teslas. In the same three-month period in 2026, the overall number fell by 40% to 57,111, and Elon Musk’s firm shipped 31,958: 24.3% fewer despite the rise in market share.
The only company that recorded an increase in California deliveries between the last and the current year was Ram. Still, while the relative 1,300% increase appears impressive at face value, the actual number of registrations rose by just 13: from 1 to 14.
Tesla records Q1 sales drop despite revenue and EPS beat
Elsewhere, the Golden State report is consistent with Tesla’s overall results. Indeed, while the firm’s latest quarterly report showed a double forecast beat in terms of revenue and earnings per share (EPS), it simultaneously demonstrated a dwindling demand for the firm’s vehicles.
In Q1, 2026, Elon Musk’s company produced 408,386 but shipped 358,023 cars. Though such a setup shows an increase compared to Q1, 2025 – the numbers then were at 362,615 and 336,681 – it is also a drop from Q4 when the figures stood at 434,358 and 418,227, respectively.
This decline was expected due to President Donald Trump’s administration’s gutting of the EV stimulus programs as part of the touted ‘drill, baby, drill’ policy and overall favoring of the fossil fuel industry, it is also arguably concerning, having showcased that the oil shock from the Iran war had no meaningful impact on the demand for electric cars.
Tesla stock investors react to Q1 figures
Meanwhile, regular and veteran investors have reacted negatively to Tesla’s latest quarterly report despite initially sending the stock 4% higher. With their press time price of $373.16, TSLA shares are 5.72% down in the last week of trading and 14.69% down in 2026.
Simultaneously, Tesla stock is changing hands 25.19% below its all-time high (ATH) of $498.83, recorded late in 2025, though the 12-month chart remains more than 44% green.
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