Automated production line assembling electric vehicle battery packs

CATL Holds 39.9% of Global EV Battery Market in H1 2026

Takeaways
  • CATL solidified global leadership by installing 242.7 GWh in H1 2026, lifting its market share to 39.9% as overall battery usage rose 20% year‑on‑year to 608.5 GWh.
  • H1 figures show BYD at 87.7 GWh (14.4% share) and rapid growth from CALB (31.2 GWh) and Gotion (28.0 GWh), with EVE up 51.7% to 20.9 GWh.
  • Chinese suppliers dominate the top 10 with 72.4% share, pressuring Korean and Japanese rivals while execution risks include demand swings, vehicle production schedules, and capacity scaling.

South Korean market research firm SNE Research reported that global power battery usage for electric vehicles (EVs, PHEVs and HEVs) reached 608.5 GWh in the first half of 2026, up 20% year on year.

Battery usage in June alone reached 139.3 GWh, increasing 34.2% year on year and rising 19.5% from May, extending the growth trend seen since the beginning of the year.

As the new energy vehicle market continues to expand, competition in the power battery sector has become increasingly concentrated among leading suppliers.

Global EV battery installment trend from 2017 to June 2026

Chinese battery manufacturers continued to strengthen their global position, benefiting from large-scale manufacturing capacity, cost advantages from lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, and support from the domestic NEV market.

Seven of the world’s top 10 battery suppliers were Chinese companies, with combined installations reaching 440.7 GWh and accounting for 72.4% of the global market, up 1.5 percentage points from a year earlier.

Among them, China’s two largest battery suppliers, CATL and BYD, maintained their positions as the world’s top two players, with combined installations reaching 330.4 GWh and representing 54.3% of the global market.

CATL continued to rank first globally. The company recorded 242.7 GWh in battery installations during the first half of the year, up 25.3% year on year

This lifts its market share increased to 39.9%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

Global top 10 battery suppliers by installations in H1 2025 and 2026

BYD ranked second with 87.7 GWh of installations, representing only a modest 1.6% year-on-year increase. Its market share declined 2.6 percentage points, falling from 17.0% a year earlier to 14.4%.

SNE Research noted that BYD’s battery installation fluctuations are largely related to its vertically integrated supply model, as most of its batteries are used internally and therefore closely track the company’s own EV production and sales performance.

As BYD continues expanding overseas markets and advancing localized production, its Blade Battery technology and fast-charging solutions are also accelerating their entry into international markets.

Beyond the two market leaders, China’s second-tier battery manufacturers also maintained strong growth momentum.

CALB ranked fourth globally with H1 battery installations of 31.2 GWh, up 39.5% year on year, while Gotion High-tech recorded 28 GWh, an increase of 43.3%.

Top 6 battery suppliers from 2017 to June 2026

EVE Energy became one of the fastest-growing companies among the global top 10 battery suppliers, with first-half installations reaching 20.9 GWh, up 51.7% year on year.

In addition, SVOLT Energy and Sunwoda ranked ninth and tenth globally, respectively, with installations of 15.7 GWh and 14.5 GWh. Their year-on-year growth rates stood at 40.9% and 13.7%, respectively.

By contrast, South Korean and Japanese battery manufacturers faced weaker growth momentum, affected by fluctuations in overseas customer demand and adjustments in vehicle production schedules.

LG Energy Solution, SK On and Panasonic recorded combined battery installations of 89.5 GWh, while their combined market share declined 2.3 percentage points year on year, falling from 17.7% to 15.4%.


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