🚗 Electric car sales rise again and set records in 50 countries

• Electric car sales rose 4 percent in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter last year, while total global car sales fell by around 5 percent in the first half of the year.
• Electric cars accounted for 24 percent of all car sales worldwide in the first half of the year and are expected to reach 29 percent for the full year 2026.
• In Australia, Brazil, India, South Korea and Vietnam, electric car sales have roughly doubled since the energy crisis began.

Rebound in the second quarter

In the second quarter of 2026, electric car sales rose 4 percent compared with the same period in 2025. Compared with the first quarter, the increase was 35 percent. In 50 countries, electric car sales during the quarter were the highest ever for a single quarter. The increase almost entirely offset the decline in the first three months of the year. As a result, electric car sales in the first half of the year were only slightly below the level of the first half of 2025.

At the same time, total global car sales fell by around 5 percent. The decline is mainly due to lower sales in China and the United States, the world's two largest car markets. The share of electric cars in all car sales rose to 24 percent, slightly higher than in the first half of 2025.

Doubling in several countries

In Australia, Brazil, India, South Korea and Vietnam, electric car sales have roughly doubled in the period March to June compared with the same months in 2025. All five are sizeable electric car markets.

The IEA expects global electric car sales to grow by around 10 percent in 2026 compared with 2025. The assessment is based on the second-quarter increase and on policy support for electric cars in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Electric cars are expected to account for 29 percent of all car sales worldwide this year.

In China, electric car sales are expected to end up at roughly the same level as in 2025. However, the share of electric cars in the Chinese market is expected to exceed 60 percent.

China's electric car exports more than doubled

Domestic car sales in China fell in the first half of the year. At the same time, the country's car exports rose 65 percent compared with the same period last year. Exports of electric cars grew even faster, by over 120 percent. The increase fully offset the decline in domestic electric car sales. The share of electric cars in China's car exports rose from around 35 percent in 2025 to over 45 percent in the first half of 2026.

Chinese carmakers have grown rapidly both at home and abroad. In emerging markets, they hold a particularly high share of electric car sales. China and other emerging economies are expected to account for 60 percent of global car demand over the coming decade.

New players take their place

Competition in the electric car market is tougher than in the market for cars with internal combustion engines. Carmakers that mainly sell combustion engine cars account for around 98 percent of sales of such cars, but only around 55 percent of global electric car sales.

The growth of electric cars is changing the car industry's supply chains. Value is shifting from traditional mechanical components to batteries, electronics and software. Chinese manufacturers benefit from integrated supply chains, battery expertise and production costs that are around 35 percent lower than in advanced economies. More and more carmakers are using joint ventures and strategic alliances to gain access to technology, battery know-how, manufacturing capacity and new markets.

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