I went to an EV expo. Here are the brands people lined up to test drive

If you could drive just about any electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) you wanted, what would you choose? That’s the choice that attendees got to make earlier this month at Electrify Expo, a traveling electric vehicle exposition.

Automakers including Tesla, Porsche, Lexus and more brought their newest models for people to test drive on a closed course outside the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. Comparing nationwide sales is one thing, but what about when all of your competition is within eyeshot of your expo tent? To see how attendees “voted with their feet,” so to speak, I asked manufacturers how many people test-drove their vehicles over the expo weekend. Here’s who came out on top.

Rivian reigns supreme

Despite a sharp drop in sales during their third quarter this year, Rivian earned its seat at the popular kid's table during the Electrify Expo weekend. The California automaker reported 918 test drives across its fleet of vehicles, including four R1T and 10 R1S models.

The company chalked up their recent low delivery numbers to a supply shortage of some of the components needed in building the R1 platform. But, if their popularity at Electrify Expo is any indication, Rivian is not lacking demand from customers eager to get behind the wheels of their trucks and SUVs.

Lucid secures second

Despite its relatively small fleet — just seven cars in total — Lucid reported 688 test drives over the weekend. Attendees could choose from the full Lucid Air lineup (with the exception of the quarter-million-dollar Sapphire), including Pure, Touring and Grand Touring trims.

Lucid has faced problems in the past over a potential lack of demand for its luxury-priced vehicles. But, while even the cheapest Pure trim still starts at about $70,000, that price has come down significantly from previous model years. The pricing changes seem to be working with the company reporting a third straight record quarter for deliveries earlier this month. That said, when price isn’t a factor, expo attendees requested to drive the six-figure Grand Touring trim the most, according to Lucid.

Nissan earns a surprise bronze

2024 hasn’t been a kind year for Nissan. The company reported a third-quarter decline in U.S. sales leaving dealerships to handle some serious inventory glut. But, judging by its strong presence at the expo weekend, you’d never guess the company was facing these challenges.

The company reported 467 test drives across its 10-car fleet. Unlike most manufacturers in attendance, Nissan had just one car on offer: the Ariya. Despite the broader company’s weak sales, the Ariya has seen an impressive 54% year-over-year increase in sales so far this year. The enthusiasm behind those sales certainly came across at the expo. Unlike some of the cars available for test driving — *cough* Cybertruck *cough* — attendees driving the Ariya seemed to be interested in actually buying it.

Toyota’s tiny presence secures fourth

Toyota may have had one of the most impressive showings at the expo. The Japanese automaker reported 440 total test drives. But, the surprising part is that it accomplished that with just four vehicles in its test drive fleet. While Toyota didn’t have the absolute highest number of test drives, it did have more test drives per vehicle than any other manufacturer at the expo.

Attendees could choose from two bZ4X models, a RAV4 Prime and a Prius Prime for test driving. The RAV4 Prime and the Prius Prime, both plug-in hybrids, have seen increased sales over the last year, but the bZ4X, Toyota’s first all-electric vehicle, has stolen the spotlight. Since hitting the market in 2022, the bZ4X has only grown in popularity, with 13,600 units sold so far this year — more than double the amount sold over the same period last year.

Lexus rounds out the pack

Toyota’s luxurious sibling didn’t seem to attract the same kind of foot traffic that other manufacturers managed. Lexus reported just 209 test drives over the weekend, spread across four RZ 450e models and two RX 450h+ models.

The relatively low number of test drives may have more to do with the availability of vehicles than their popularity. On Sunday afternoon when I walked up to talk to the Lexus staff member who was checking attendees in for test drives. I saw a couple in front of me get turned away because all of Lexus’s test drive slots were full for the rest of the day. A spokesperson for Lexus said the automaker rotated their cars in and out of the test driving fleet “based on charging needs.”

The Cybertruck-sized elephant in the room

“What about Tesla?!” I know, I know. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the longtime EV leader. Unfortunately, the void where Tesla’s Public Relations department used to be doesn’t respond to press inquiries, so we couldn’t obtain an official number for how many test drives Tesla did over the expo weekend. But, when I talked to a Tesla staff member who was helping check people in for test drives, they told me they already had about 1,500 test drives so far, with hours left to go on Sunday.

Attendees lined up to test drive the Model S, Model 3 and Model Y, but the crowd-favorite — by a large margin — was the Cybertruck. “Everyone wants to drive the Cybertruck,” the staff member said to me. The excitement over Tesla’s most divisive model was best summed up by a little kid who shouted as he walked into the test-driving area: “Daddy, Cybertruck!” Still, exactly how many people wanted to test-drive Tesla’s fleet is a mystery.

Related: Ford is paying dealers $20K+ to order 2024 F-150 Lightning trucks

Hummer, Porsche and Volvo too shy to share

Despite their relatively large footprints at the expo, GMC, Porsche, and Volvo all declined to share the exact number of test drives they provided over the weekend. Without official numbers, we can’t rank their popularity compared to other automakers, but they all seemed relatively popular while I walked around on Sunday.

The spectacle, let’s say, of the Cybertruck was hard to compete against, but GMC’s imposing new Hummer EV tried its best. The eight Hummer EVs that GMC brought for test driving attracted a variety of attendees, but like the Hot Wheels-esque Cybertruck, their primary audience appeared to be little kids.

Porsche showed out with an expo-topping 17-car fleet, including 10 Macan models, six Taycan models, and one Cayenne Turbo e-hybrid.

Volvo, meanwhile, had 12 different cars on offer, including multiple electrified XC40s, C40s, XC60s and XC90s.

Final thoughts

So what does this decidedly unscientific assessment tell us? Perhaps the clearest takeaway is that little kids (and a fair number of adults) still really like big, shiny trucks. What else? It also tells us that the market for EVs is big. Whether you’re making expensive, ultra-sleek models like Rivian and Lucid or you’re producing practical, more budget-friendly options like Toyota and Nissan, there are still many consumers who are eager to get behind the wheel of an EV.

Related: The most affordable EV in the US ($35,000) with 300+ miles of range is here