Global EV sales are still huge, but they’re not moving in the same direction everywhere: New data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows 4 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in Q1 2026, down 3% year over year.
March helped soften the drop, with 1.75 million EVs sold globally – up 66% from February and 3% higher than March 2025. That rebound, though, masks a widening gap between regions.
Here’s how Q1 2026 stacks up:
- Global: 4.0 million (−3%)
- China: 1.9 million (−21%)
- Europe: 1.2 million (+27%)
- North America: 0.32 million (−27%)
- Rest of world: 0.6 million (+79%)
Europe is carrying the market
Europe is currently the growth engine for EVs. The region had its strongest month on record in March, topping half a million sales for the first time.
Sales jumped 72% month over month and 37% year over year, helped by subsidies and rising gas prices tied to the conflict in the Middle East. Both BEVs and PHEVs hit record volumes.
Several countries posted standout results. The UK saw a boost from its March registration plate change, along with higher fuel costs, leading to a record month and 31% year-over-year growth. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain also recorded all-time highs for BEV sales.
Higher gas prices are clearly shaping buying behavior. In France, rising prices, even with supplier caps like those from TotalEnergies, triggered panic buying and supply disruptions at gas stations. That pushed BEV sales up 69% year over year, far above the already strong 36% growth seen in the first two months of 2026.
Chinese automakers are also gaining ground in Europe. In Italy, Leapmotor made up around 30% of BEV sales in Q1, and when you include other Chinese brands, their combined share is closer to 40%.
China rebounds, but is still down
China saw a sharp recovery in March, with EV sales nearly doubling compared to February after the Chinese New Year slowdown.
Even so, the world’s largest EV market is still down 21% year to date. Policy changes continue to weigh on domestic demand.
Chinese automakers are leaning more on exports to offset weaker demand at home. But there’s a catch: overseas inventories are building, suggesting sales abroad aren’t keeping up with shipments.
North America is cooling off
North America had a rough start to the year. EV sales fell 27% in Q1 compared to the same period in 2025, with both the US and Canada seeing steep declines.
That said, March showed some life. Gas prices are up in the US as well, which recorded more than 100,000 EV sales – its highest monthly total since federal tax credits ended in Q3 2025.
Automakers are also pulling back. Honda recently scrapped development of its Honda 0 Series EVs, and the Afeela models from its joint venture with Sony were also canceled.
Rest of the world is surging
Outside the major markets, growth is accelerating fast.
New Zealand stood out, with BEV registrations jumping 263% year over year in March. That pushed its 2026 growth rate to more than 100% year over year.
Australia also posted strong gains, with BEV sales up 89% year over year in March. That’s actually slower than earlier in the year, when growth was running at 111%, but still enough to set a new monthly record – more than 2,000 units higher than the previous peak.
Rising gas prices are playing a role here, too. Since the start of the war in Iran, prices have climbed by more than 20% in parts of Oceania, raising concerns about fuel supply and pushing more buyers toward EVs.
Read more: Europe surges, US stumbles, China cools: EV sales dip in 2026
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