IEA: Electric Vehicle Sales Break Records in Almost 100 Countries

Global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have again hit a record. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates world EV sales will reach 23 million units in 2026, or nearly 30 percent of total global car sales this year. The trend is driven by higher fuel prices, government policies, and increasingly competitive EV prices across countries. With this level, one in four new cars sold worldwide last year was an EV. The IEA notes that momentum occurred in almost 100 countries that recorded EV sales records throughout 2025. The organisation says growth in the EV market is no longer supported solely by China, Europe, and the United States, but is spreading to developing nations. It also highlights the global energy crisis and the surge in oil prices as factors accelerating interest in EVs, with consumers viewing them as a way to cut household energy expenditures. China remains the world’s largest EV market, with EV sales in China reaching around 12.9 million units in 2025, up 17% from the previous year. The share of EVs in the Chinese auto market continues to rise, with the IEA estimating about 60% of new cars sold in China in 2025 are EVs. Price competition in China has even pushed EV manufacturers to export more aggressively to international markets. According to the Financial Times, China produced almost 75% of the world’s EVs in 2025.