Nexo does not run on gas or electricity.
Hyundai EV Lab
Engineering Director Aaron Parker explains how students assembled the batteries in the Hyundai EV Lab at Effingham College and Career Academy.
- The Hyundai Nex is the brand’s slowest selling model, with only five units expected to be sold in 2025.
- Other fuel cell vehicles, such as the Toyota Mirai, have also suffered significant sales declines.
South Korean automaker Hyundai produces competitive vehicles in several popular segments. Many of the company’s vehicles are in demand, but sales of one model have been particularly slow.
While there are several factors that could account for the failure of Hyundai’s least popular model, there is one thing that sets it apart from every other model in the brand’s portfolio. How did Hyundai manage to sell only 5 Nexo units in 2025 and just under 100 in the past two years?
According to sales figures, Hyundai Nex is the brand’s worst-selling car.
Hyundai has officially announced its 2025 sales numbers, and its best-selling nameplates like Elantra, Tucson, and Santa Fe have increased in popularity year-over-year. The company sold 148,200 Elantras, 234,230 Tucson SUVs and 142,404 Santa Fe SUVs. Sales of the Nexo SUV are another story.
The Hyundai Nex is unique because it is one of the few fuel cell electric vehicles on the American market. Additionally, according to Kelley Blue Book, it will be sold exclusively in California, just like the Toyota Mirai. The brand sold 94 Nexo models in 2024, although its status as a one-state nameplate has contributed to weak sales. Limited availability isn’t the only reason drivers aren’t interested in hydrogen gas-powered vehicles, as sales are down 95% year-on-year.
Why are Hyundai NEXO’s sales slow?
The Hyundai Nexo isn’t very appealing to drivers in California (or most states in the U.S.) due to the lack of widespread hydrogen gas stations. Aside from the lack of hydrogen stations, Nexo’s midsize SUV is particularly expensive, starting at about $63,000 for the base model. In contrast, the last trim of the popular Hyundai Santa Fe midsize SUV, the Calligraphy, starts at $47,600. It’s been in production longer than the Nexo, runs on regular gasoline like most popular cars, and is packed with great standard features.
Between the Nexo’s unpopular fuel source, high starting price, and its novelty, many American drivers are unwilling to take the risk on such an innovative vehicle. Additionally, Hyundai offers popular battery electric vehicles with more charging options than FCEVs (fuel cell electric vehicles) like the Nexo.
Is America ready for hydrogen cars?
According to the car news site Carbuzz, Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle sales in 2025 will be just 210 units, down 57.8% from 499 units in 2024. California may have better refueling infrastructure for hydrogen gas vehicles than other states, but sales numbers do not show strong demand for hydrogen gas vehicles.
Electric vehicle sales will take a hit in 2025 due to the repeal of federal electric vehicle tax incentives and rising new vehicle prices. Even if EVs (which have better charging infrastructure than FCEVS) are struggling, it’s highly unlikely that Nexo will suddenly become popular. The outlook for FCEVs is bleak, as millions of Americans are still deciding whether EVs have a place in the auto industry based on sales numbers.
Hybrid cars are becoming the new normal
Drivers may not be ready for hydrogen gas cars, but hybrid cars are selling like hotcakes. According to Toyota, the Camry Hybrid had its “best year ever” in 2025. Ford achieved record hybrid sales in the U.S. in 2025, selling 228,072 hybrids and plug-in hybrids, an increase of 21.7% from the previous year.
Some of America’s most popular car brands offer hybrid nameplates and hybrid powertrain options on their best-selling models. Long gone are the days when models like the Prius were widely seen as strange, drab, and boring. The era of hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs is in full swing.
