Global Electric Vehicle Sales Accelerate

IEA Global Report Finds a Quarter of New Cars Sold Are Electric

Graph of the global stock of electric vehicles through 2025 based on IEA data. RCraig09/Wikimedia 

Electric vehicles (EVs) are moving from an emerging technology to a mainstream part of the global transportation system. According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Global EV Outlook 2026, record sales, falling battery costs, expanding manufacturing, and rapid growth in emerging markets are accelerating the worldwide transition away from conventional gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

Although growth varies by region and government policy continues to influence adoption, the overall trend remains strong. China continues to dominate both EV manufacturing and sales, Europe has returned to rapid growth, and many developing economies are experiencing some of the fastest increases in market share. 

Key Data

• More than 20 million electric cars were sold worldwide in 2025, representing approximately 25% of all new passenger car sales globally.

• Global EV sales increased by 20% between 2024 and 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year in which annual sales grew by roughly 3.5 million vehicles.

• Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 65% of all electric car sales in 2025, reversing the recent growth trend of plug-in hybrid and extended-range models.

• China sold more than 13 million electric cars in 2025—about 60% of all EVs sold worldwide—with electric vehicles reaching nearly 55% of new car sales in the country.

• Europe recorded more than 4.2 million EV sales in 2025, a 30% increase over the previous year, with electric vehicles accounting for 28% of new car sales across the region.

• Germany rebounded strongly, increasing EV sales by 50% to approximately 850,000 vehicles, the country's highest total on record.

• The United Kingdom saw electric vehicles account for more than one-third of all new car sales, while battery-electric vehicles alone represented 23% of new registrations.

• South Korea's EV sales climbed by approximately 65%, surpassing 200,000 vehicles and pushing EVs above 10% of new vehicle sales for the first time.

• India's EV sales increased by approximately 75%, reaching about 165,000 vehicles, although electric cars still represented only about 4% of total new car sales.

• Outside the three largest EV markets (China, Europe, and the United States), more than 2 million electric cars were sold in 2025. More than half of those sales occurred in countries across Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East, many of which have now surpassed 10% EV market share.

• Global manufacturing reached nearly 22 million electric cars in 2025—an increase of more than 25% from the previous year. Approximately one-quarter of all EVs produced were traded internationally.

• China manufactured approximately 16 million electric cars in 2025, accounting for nearly 75% of global production and about 40% of worldwide EV exports. Chinese EV exports exceeded 2.5 million vehicles, roughly double the previous year's total.

• In Southeast Asia, electric vehicle imports more than doubled, surpassing 300,000 vehicles in 2025, with nearly all imports coming from China.

• The IEA projects global EV sales will reach approximately 23 million vehicles in 2026, accounting for roughly 28% of all new passenger car sales worldwide.

Sources 

• International Energy Agency – Global EV Outlook 2026 

• Global EV Outlook 2026 Data