Global electric vehicle sales rose 9% year over year in July 2026, reaching approximately 1.85 million vehicles, according to new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The figures include battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Global sales during the first seven months of the year therefore reached 11.5 million vehicles, up 4% compared with the same period last year.
However, growth was not even across regions. George Whitcomb, Benchmark’s senior electric vehicle analyst, said the global market remains characterized by clear regional divergence, with strong performance in Europe and the rest of the world, versus another decline in North America.
Europe Leads Market Growth
Electric vehicle sales in Europe reached 450,000 vehicles in July, up 33% year over year, despite falling 17% compared with June due to the usual summer slowdown. On a cumulative basis, sales reached 3 million vehicles since the beginning of the year, an increase of 28%.
France recorded the largest jump, with sales rising 81% year over year, while electric vehicles’ share of new car sales reached a record 37%. Sales also increased 46% in Germany and 43% in the United Kingdom.
The data indicates that government support plays an important role in this performance, after several major European markets reinstated or expanded electric vehicle incentives during the past 18 months. In Spain, where sales have risen 34% this year, the new Auto+ incentive program began on August 4. The program allows buyers to receive up to 4,500 euros, or $5,190, with the possibility of submitting retroactive applications for purchases made since January 1.
China: Overall Decline Masks Growth in Fully Electric Vehicles
China recorded sales of 980,000 electric vehicles in July, down 5% year over year and 7% compared with June. Cumulative sales since the beginning of the year also fell 12% to 5.9 million vehicles.
However, this decline does not fully reflect buyer behavior, because Benchmark’s classification combines fully electric vehicles with plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles, categories that moved in different directions. According to Electrek’s breakdown of the July data, fully electric vehicle sales rose 6% year over year, while plug-in hybrid vehicle sales declined 21.1%, extended-range vehicle sales fell 16.5%, and fuel-powered vehicle sales dropped 44%.
New energy vehicles accounted for 65.1% of Chinese retail car sales, a record level. Chinese automakers also exported more than 500,000 new energy vehicles in July, a new monthly record.
North America Declines Again
Electric vehicle sales in North America fell 27% year over year to 140,000 vehicles in July, while sales during the first seven months reached 900,000 vehicles, down 18%.
Despite some improvement in the United States during the second quarter, sales fell more than 30% year over year in July. Benchmark attributes the decline to the expiration of federal support for electric vehicles, a weak regulatory environment, and the difficulty of comparison with last summer, when a buying wave occurred before the Trump administration eliminated the federal electric vehicle tax credit on September 30, 2025.
Uneven Global Growth
The fastest growth came from the “rest of the world” region, where July sales nearly doubled to 280,000 vehicles. Total sales in these markets reached 1.7 million vehicles during the first seven months, up 96% year over year.
These results mean that global electric vehicle market growth depends heavily on Europe and other markets to offset North America’s contraction, while China’s overall figure masks an accelerating shift away from vehicles that use internal combustion engines.