Global EV sales rose 8% in October as Europe's battery-electric sales jumped 49%
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence counted 2.09 million EVs sold worldwide in October, up 8% on a year earlier, with Europe up 36% and China still down 12%.
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Drivers bought 2.09 million electric vehicles around the world in October, 8% more than in October 2025, according to new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported by Electrek and EV Infrastructure News. The total was 3% lower than September's, and sales for the first ten months of 2026 reached 17.5 million, up 5%. Benchmark's figures cover battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids in the passenger car and light vehicle market.
October by region
| Region | October 2026 | Change on a year earlier | Year to date |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1.14 million | down 12% | 9.1 million, down 11% |
| Europe | 0.51 million | up 36% | 4.5 million, up 31% |
| North America | 0.13 million | up 24% | 1.3 million, down 21% |
| Rest of world | 0.30 million | up 85% | 2.6 million, up 93% |
| Global | 2.09 million | up 8% | 17.5 million, up 5% |
Figures from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence as published by Electrek.
Europe keeps growing
Europe sold about 510,000 EVs, and fully electric cars led the gain with sales up 49% while plug-in hybrids rose 7%, Electrek reported. Germany's battery-electric sales rose almost 80% to more than 95,000, and its EV share of new car sales was the highest since December 2022. UK EV sales were up 30% even though the Electric Car Grant was already in place a year earlier. The 17% fall from September reflects that month's record, which the UK's plate change boosted.
North America's first rise of the year
North America posted its first year-on-year increase of 2026, up 24% to 130,000. Benchmark data manager Charles Lester said the US market has "stabilized at a lower level rather than recovered," because October 2025 was the first month without the federal EV tax credit, so the comparison is against a weak month. Electrek put US sales at about 110,000.
China shrinks at home, exports more
China remained the largest market but was the only region with a year-on-year decline, according to EV Infrastructure News. Exports of passenger new energy vehicles reached almost 600,000, another monthly record. Elsewhere, Benchmark said Australia's EV sales more than tripled from a year earlier, while it expects Brazil's surge, driven partly by imports ahead of tariff increases, to ease.