Global sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles surged 24 per cent in June from a year earlier, driven by strong demand in China and Europe, while the US fell behind, according to the market research firm Rho Motion.
A total of 1.8 million battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids were sold last month, the London-based firm said on Tuesday. Sales in China jumped 28 per cent to 1.11 million units, or 60 per cent of the worldwide total, while Europe’s demand rose 23 per cent to 390,000 units, according to the report.
The US, the world’s second-largest vehicle market after China, was the laggard, with sales in North America falling 9 per cent to just over 140,000 units, the data showed. Demand in the rest of the world surged 43 per cent to more than 140,000 vehicles, boosting the significance of the emerging markets of Southeast Asia and Central America, Rho Motion said.
In the first half of this year, 9.1 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold globally, a 28 per cent increase from a year earlier. China led with 5.5 million units, followed by Europe with 2 million and North America with 900,000.
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How Chinese companies have pulled ahead of Tesla in the electric vehicle race
How Chinese companies have pulled ahead of Tesla in the electric vehicle race
“[The] EV sales figures for the first half of 2025 show that China and Europe are steaming ahead in terms of the electric transition,” said Charles Lester, data manager at Rho Motion.
Lester said he expected subsidies in China to continue in the second half despite “reports that some cities’ subsidies have run out, prompting expectations of a slowdown in the Chinese market”.
