Global EV Registrations Hit a Record 11 Million in Nine Months — Europe Up 42%, the US Down 29%

Global registrations of battery-electric vehicles rose 12 percent in the first nine months of 2026 to a record 11 million, according to consultancy PwC’s Electric Vehicle Sales Review, published October 29. The third quarter alone set a record with 4.3 million battery-electrics registered worldwide.

Europe is driving the growth. The region accounted for 2.5 million electric cars in the first nine months, up 42 percent on the previous year, and in Germany registrations jumped 58 percent to 604,000 — narrowing the gap with the United States, the world’s second-largest market. In Europe’s five largest car markets, battery-electric registrations rose 66 percent in the third quarter and topped 600,000 in a single quarter for the first time.

China, the world’s largest electric-vehicle market, stalled in volume terms with registrations around 6 million, but its battery-electric share reached a record 49 percent in the third quarter, when it registered 2.5 million battery-electrics — the highest volume ever recorded for a third quarter. The United States moved the other way after federal incentives expired in the third quarter of 2025: registrations fell 29 percent to around 746,000 over the nine months, and its battery-electric market share fell to 6 percent in the third quarter, while hybrid sales rose 26 percent to 649,000.

The split explains where automakers are sending their electric cars. Germany’s record October — battery-electrics took 37 percent of its new-car market — shows European demand is being carried by affordable electric models and strong domestic brands, while American EV sales have fallen back to a level the market has to grow out of on price and product alone.