Top 100 Countries by Electric Vehicle Share in New Car Sales, 2025
How EV share in new car sales captures the pace of electrification
The electric-vehicle (EV) share in new car sales measures the percentage of newly sold cars that are plug-in electric—battery-electric (BEV) plus plug-in hybrid (PHEV). For tracking the transition, this “flow” metric often reveals change faster than the EV share in the total vehicle stock: stock reflects many years of past purchases, while sales shares react quickly to incentives, charging build-out, pricing, and model availability.
The ranking below uses the latest available year in the 2025 data edition (commonly 2024 in the underlying series). Values are presented as percentages and may appear rounded.
Table 1 — Top 100 countries by EV share in new car sales (latest available year)
| Rank | Country | EV share (%), year (BEV+PHEV) |
|---|
Bar chart — Top 20 EV shares (same definition)
Patterns behind the ranking: structure, market design, and technology mix
Cross-country differences in EV sales share are rarely explained by a single factor. High shares typically appear where policy and market structure reinforce each other: purchase incentives or tax design that makes EVs price-competitive, dense charging networks, strong model availability, and predictable rules for fleet buyers. At the other end, low shares often coincide with higher upfront price barriers, weaker charging coverage, or policy uncertainty.
A high percentage does not necessarily mean a high number of EVs sold. Smaller markets can top the ranking with very high shares even when absolute volumes remain modest.
Another key dimension is the composition of plug-in sales: some countries reach high EV shares with a BEV-heavy mix, while others show a larger role for PHEVs. The distinction matters because it affects charging demand, fuel substitution, and how quickly the fleet becomes “fully” electric.
Table 2 — Composition in selected high-adoption markets (BEV vs PHEV shares of new sales)
| Country | BEV share (% of new sales) | PHEV share (% of new sales) |
|---|
Line chart — World EV share trend (2010–latest available year)
What the ranking implies for policy, industry, and the pace of change
In transport decarbonization, the EV share in new sales is one of the clearest indicators of momentum. When the share is high, supply chains, charging ecosystems, and consumer expectations tend to realign quickly: manufacturers scale model line-ups, charging providers build networks, and second-hand markets develop—reinforcing adoption through a feedback loop.
Yet, the ranking should not be read as a single-score “success metric.” Countries with similar EV shares may reach them through different pathways: some by strong fiscal incentives, others by structural cost advantages (electricity vs fuel), and others by fleet purchasing programs. Conversely, a rapid increase in EV share can coexist with wider challenges such as grid constraints, uneven access to charging, or volatile subsidy budgets.
Policy takeaway
1) Treat EV share as a short-run signal, not a full-system outcome. High shares typically indicate market readiness and effective incentives, but do not automatically guarantee emissions reductions unless electricity is clean and ICE sales are being displaced rather than added.
2) The “composition” matters. A BEV-heavy mix implies higher charging demand and stronger potential tailpipe reductions; a PHEV-heavy mix can reduce range anxiety but may deliver variable real-world emissions outcomes depending on usage patterns.
3) Pair demand-side incentives with supply and infrastructure. Durable adoption tends to appear where fiscal signals (tax, rebates) are matched by reliable charging and steady model availability across price segments.
4) Expect small-market leaders—and interpret them correctly. Small countries can top the list because a focused policy package can move a small denominator quickly; this does not diminish the relevance of large-market dynamics, which shape global manufacturing and battery supply chains.
Primary data sources and technical notes
- International Energy Agency (IEA) — Global EV Outlook 2025 (core source for EV sales and sales shares, harmonized across countries). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025
- IEA — Global EV Data Explorer / data product (downloadable tables behind the Outlook, including country-level EV metrics used in comparative charts). https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-product/global-ev-outlook-2025
- Our World in Data (OWID) — Grapher dataset: “Share of new cars sold that are electric” (IEA data processed by OWID; convenient for reproducible ranking tables). https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electric-car-sales-share
- Our World in Data (OWID) — Grapher dataset: “Share of new electric cars that are fully battery-electric” (used to derive BEV vs PHEV composition when combined with total EV share). https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/bev-share-new-ev
- World Bank — GDP per capita (for income comparisons in scatter charts) (use a single consistent measure; PPP or constant USD). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
Note: The article presents a comparative overview based on harmonized international datasets; minor revisions can occur when source agencies update historical series.
