Global electric vehicle (EV) sales jumped 35% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In the same period, 50 countries set quarterly EV sales records, the IEA reported. The category includes both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

35%

Quarter-over-quarter global EV sales growth in Q2 2026.

In the first half of 2026, more than 90 countries recorded year-over-year EV sales growth. Australia, Brazil, India, Korea, and Vietnam saw EV sales roughly double in the March-June period compared to the same months in 2025, the IEA said. Meanwhile, global car sales overall fell around 5% year over year in the first half of 2026.

Global EV sales (including PHEVs) increased 4% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, the IEA stated. The agency attributed the quarterly boom partly to fuel price spikes caused by the US-Iran conflict.

The IEA raised its 2026 EV outlook, now expecting EVs to make up 29% of all cars sold worldwide this year—one percentage point higher than its May 2026 forecast. In China, EV sales are expected to stagnate year over year in 2026 for the first time this decade, yet more than 60% of new cars sold there are expected to be EVs, an all-time high, according to the IEA.

China exported almost as many EVs in the first six months of 2026 as during all of 2025, the IEA reported. However, the agency estimates that only about two-thirds of those exported EVs have been sold; combined with unsold exports from earlier months, over 1 million Chinese-made electric cars are available for sale worldwide. The share of electric cars in China's car exports rose from around 35% in 2025 to more than 45% in the first half of 2026, according to the IEA.

Chinese EV production costs are around 35% lower than in advanced economies, according to the IEA. The agency stated that other nations will require coordinated efforts between government and industry to close the cost gap with China. The IEA also assessed that increasing Chinese competition in emerging countries will reshape the global automotive sector, and market leadership will depend on success in those countries.

In the US, the federal EV tax credits ended in September 2025 and fuel-economy rules were weakened, leading to a sharp fall in US EV demand, the IEA said. In the UK, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations increased 35% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). BEVs and PHEVs together accounted for 36% of total UK car registrations in that period, per SMMT.

The IEA noted that the Middle East war and resulting energy crisis have highlighted fuel costs and supply security, and that road vehicles consume nearly half of the world's oil. The agency said government and auto industry responses to the energy crisis could give EV sales another boost.