Global electric vehicle sales dropped in January 2026, even as gas prices climbed higher. Plugin vehicle registrations fell 6% year-over-year to nearly 1.2 million units worldwide. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) totaled around 774,000 registrations, down approximately 4% from the previous year. Plugin hybrids dropped 8%. Together, plugins held an 18% global market share, with BEVs taking 12%.
Analysts point to incentive cuts as a major reason for the slowdown. China, the world’s largest EV market, saw sales drop 26% year-to-date after adjusting to new government policies. China’s share of global EV sales also fell to roughly 53%. The U.S. saw EV sales dip 2.6%, losing roughly 41,000 vehicles. North America’s EV market slowed broadly.
Europe told a different story. The region’s plugin sales surged 21% year-to-date. France’s BEV registrations jumped 52.1%, and Germany’s rose 23.8%. In the EU, battery-electric cars grabbed 19.3% market share, up from 14.9% the year before. About 154,230 BEVs were registered across the EU in January. Not every European country saw gains, though. Belgium dropped 11.5% and the Netherlands fell 35.4%.
Tesla’s Model Y stayed the top-selling EV globally with 53,074 units, but that’s down 7% year-over-year. Tesla’s overall BEV market share reportedly slipped from prior highs. BYD led all manufacturers with 10.8% market share. Geely was also strong at around 11% share. Xiaomi models ranked highly globally, a sign that newer Chinese brands are gaining ground fast. Five startup models made the global top 10, compared to just one the prior year.
Petrol and diesel cars continued losing ground in the EU. Petrol registrations dropped 28.2%, bringing market share down to 22%. Diesel fell 22.3%, holding just an 8.1% share. Hybrid-electric vehicles held steady with 38.6% market share and 308,364 units sold. Plug-in hybrid registrations reached 78,741 units in the EU, driven by strong growth in Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Multiple Asian markets, including India and Indonesia, saw EV growth top 100%. Overall, global EV sales for January and February combined fell 8% to 2.2 million units. Excluding China and the USA, global plugin sales actually rose 36% year-over-year, with BEVs up 37% and PHEVs up 34%, highlighting how incentive-driven markets skewed the overall decline.
References
- https://www.acea.auto/pc-registrations/new-car-registrations-3-9-in-january-2026-battery-electric-19-3-market-share/
- https://cleantechnica.com/2026/03/05/top-selling-electric-vehicles-in-the-world-january-2026/
- https://electrek.co/2026/03/12/global-ev-sales-hit-1-1-million-europe-surges-while-the-us-slides/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbTFwFokOJM
- https://tridenstechnology.com/electric-car-sales-statistics/
- https://www.autosinnovate.org/posts/papers-reports/Stay_Connected_1_2026.pdf
- https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/jd-power-globaldata-forecast-january-2026
