Tesla vehicles line a parking area at the company's Fremont, California, factory on August 5. Noah Berger/AP

Tesla sales surged to a record in the third quarter as American buyers rushed to buy its cars before a $7,500 federal tax credit expired on September 30.

The company sold a record 497,099 vehicles worldwide from July through September, a tally just ahead of the company record set in the final three months of 2024. That’s also up 29% from the 384,122 sold in the second quarter, and up 7% from the third quarter of 2024. It was also the first quarter this year that Tesla posted a year-over-year sales gain.

But the gains might not last. The EV buyer tax credit, passed by the Biden administration in 2022, was eliminated as part of President Donald Trump’s broad spending and tax

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