Many MindedEurope's battery-car sales surge 49% while China and the US lag
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that 2.09 million electric vehicles, battery and plug-in hybrid combined, were sold worldwide in October 2026. That is 8% above a year earlier and 3% below September. For January to October the total is 17.5 million, up 5% on the same period of 2025.
Europe led the growth. It sold 510,000 EVs in October, up 36% year over year, and 4.5 million so far this year, up 31%. Battery-electric sales rose 49% in the month, while plug-in hybrids rose 7%. Germany's EV share of new car sales topped 45%, its highest since December 2022, with battery-electric sales up almost 80% to over 95,000. UK sales rose 30%, and Portugal's EV share reached 55%. Rest of world sales rose 85% to 300,000, and Australia's more than tripled.
The other big markets were weaker. China sold 1.14 million EVs, down 12% year over year, and is down 11% for the year at 9.1 million. Its EV share of new cars hit a record only because the overall passenger car market is shrinking faster. North America sold 130,000, up 24%, its first annual gain of 2026, though year to date it is down 21%. Chinese NEV passenger car exports hit a record of nearly 600,000 in October.
Why it matters: each EV that replaces a petrol car cuts a household's fuel needs and shifts transport toward electricity. Growth now comes from many places at once, with Europe's battery-electric segment and emerging markets rising as the two largest markets soften.
Caveats: Benchmark says the US has stabilized at a lower level rather than recovered. The October 2025 comparison month was depressed by the end of the federal tax credit. Brazil's growth is partly temporary, and Australian dealer profits are squeezed by more competing brands, many Chinese. Watch the EU's planned cap on Chinese-built hybrid imports and China's export VAT rebate cut from 13% to 9% on April 1, 2027.
Source: Electrek