A driver charges up his electric vehicle at Whole Foods in Fresno. File photo

While many are hopping on the electric vehicle (EV) trend, and others deriding it, Fresno’s non-Tesla auto dealers are getting a piece of the market.

According to the latest iSeeCars study, The Fresno/Visalia area ranks No. 17 out of 132 metro areas for the percentage of new car dealers selling EVs and No. 22 for the percentage of used car dealers selling EVs.

For the study, iSeeCars analyzed the inventories of more than 82,000 new and used car dealers from November 2020 to November 2023.

In Fresno/Visalia, 64.7% of new car dealers sell EVs, compared to 55.1% nationally.

From November 2020 to November 2023, the number of new car dealers selling EVs in Fresno/Visalia grew about 140% — a paltry growth rate comparatively that actually ranks 130 out of 132 metro areas.

The national average among new car dealers for three-year growth in EV sales was 330%.

Used car dealers selling EVs in the Fresno/Visalia area grew 100%, which ranks 129.

In that same time frame, non-Tesla new car dealers selling electric vehicles increased from 16.5% to 55.1%.

In the past three years market share has grown by more than 800%.

California, Washington, and Utah have the highest percentage of used auto dealers selling EVs, while central states like Wyoming, Mississippi, and North Dakota have the lowest percent of used EV Dealers.

Delaware, Rhode Island and Hawaii have the highest percentage of new car dealers selling EVs.

According to the study, most large dealers are selling EVs, while most small dealers are not.

“Selling new or used electric vehicles requires a dealer to commit to understanding them, training their sales and service staff on them, and investing in on-site charging to keep EVs charged and ready for customers,” said Karl Brauer iSeeCars executive analyst. “It’s clearly financial commitment smaller dealers aren’t yet willing to make, especially in a market where EV sales aren’t growing as fast as they were a year ago.”