NEW YORK — Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third-quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30.

The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships.

Sales rose to 497,099, compared with with 462,890 in the same period last year. Analysts expected sales to fall slightly to 456,000, even with a boost from customers seeking to use the electric vehicle incentive.