IEA says electric car sales set records in 50 countries in the second quarter of 2026, up 35 percent on the first quarter

The International Energy Agency said on Thursday 30 July 2026 (8 Mordad 1405), in a report titled "Electric Car Markets in a Time of Uncertainty", that global electric car sales rose 35 percent in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter and reached record quarterly levels in 50 countries.

According to the report, total global car sales fell by around 5 percent year on year between January and June 2026 as purchases declined in the two largest markets, China and the United States, under economic pressure, higher fuel prices and policy changes. Electric car sales had also fallen in the first quarter but rebounded sharply in the second. In Australia, Brazil, India, South Korea and Vietnam, sales roughly doubled between March and June compared with the same period of 2025, and more than 90 countries recorded year on year growth in the first half of 2026.

The agency identified the main driver as the energy crisis caused by the war in West Asia, which brought fuel price volatility back into focus and, it said, pushed energy security up the agenda for oil importing countries. Road vehicles account for nearly half of global oil use. On the back of this momentum, electric cars are now expected to make up 29 percent of total global car sales in 2026, one percentage point above the agency's May estimate. The IEA also said electric car sales in China will stagnate for the first time this decade, even though more than 60 percent of all car sales there will be electric.