In December 2025, China sold more than 1.3 million EVs, while full-year sales reached about 12.9 million units, up 17% year on year.
On January 14, market research firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI) released data showing that global electric vehicle sales reached 2.1 million units in December 2025, up 6% year on year. Full-year sales totaled 20.7 million units, marking annual growth of 20%.
By region, China remained the primary engine of global EV growth. In December 2025, China sold more than 1.3 million EVs, while full-year sales reached about 12.9 million units, up 17% year on year and accounting for 62% of global volume. In terms of structure, BEV sales rose 26%, while PHEVs increased 6%.
Against a backdrop of continued price declines and rapid model expansion, competition has intensified. Chinese automakers such as BYD accelerated overseas expansion, with EV exports more than doubling from around 400,000 units in 2024 to over 1 million units in 2025, lifting demand across South America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe.
BMI data show that about 19% of EVs sold in Europe in 2025 were manufactured in China.
BMI expects that from 2026, China’s EV purchase tax incentives will shift from full exemption to a 50% reduction, while trade-in subsidies will move from flat amounts to price-linked mechanisms, lowering average subsidy intensity and potentially weighing on short-term growth.
Europe saw a clear rebound in 2025. December EV sales exceeded 450,000 units, up 34% year on year, while full-year sales reached about 4.3 million units, up 33%. BEVs grew 31%, and PHEVs rose 38%.
At the country level, Germany’s full-year sales climbed 48%, while the UK recorded 27% growth. France posted a sluggish start to the year, with late-year subsidy support helping limit full-year growth to just 2%.
On the regulatory front, the European Union relaxed interim tailpipe emissions targets, and several countries extended or strengthened purchase incentives.
BMI expects the EU’s 2035 “100% zero-emission” goal could be adjusted to 90%, supporting continued EV sales growth in Europe in 2026.
North America, by contrast, weakened. December EV sales fell 39% year on year to around 100,000 units, while full-year sales declined 4% to about 1.8 million units.
In the United States, federal tax credits were scrapped from September 30, limiting full-year growth to just 1%. Canada ended subsidies early in the year, triggering a 41% sales drop. Mexico bucked the trend, with sales up 29% amid rising imports from Chinese brands.
BMI said that without federal incentives and legislative support, automakers are shifting focus back toward ICEs. It expects U.S. EV sales to fall 29% in 2026, dragging overall North American sales down by about 23%.
Sales in “other regions” rose 48% in 2025. Southeast Asia nearly doubled, with average monthly sales of 55,000 units in the fourth quarter, well above 32,000 units a year earlier. Central and South America grew 49% year on year, with about 85% of sales coming from Chinese brands.
Looking ahead to 2026, BMI forecasts global EV sales of 23.9 million units, up 15.7% year on year.
China’s growth rate is expected to rebound to 21%, while Europe and other regions are projected to slow to 15% and 26%, respectively. North America is expected to remain under pressure.
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