Global EV sales hit 1.8M in May as Europe surges, US lags

Global EV Sales Rise 3% in May as Europe Drives Growth While US Slumps

Global electric vehicle sales reached 1.8 million units in May 2026, a 3% increase compared with the same month last year, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence published Monday. The result brings year-to-date sales to 7.5 million vehicles and marks the third consecutive month of year-over-year growth after a weak start to 2026.electriccarsreport

The recovery, however, masks a widening gulf between regions. Europe has emerged as the engine of global EV demand, while North America continues to reel from the elimination of federal purchase incentives last year.

Europe Accelerates

Europe posted the strongest regional performance, extending a streak of robust growth that has seen battery-electric registrations jump by more than a quarter in the first half of the year. In the EU alone, BEV registrations rose 37.7% year-over-year in April to over 200,000 units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. For the first quarter, 723,704 BEVs were registered across the broader European market — a 26.2% increase over Q1 2025 — with market share reaching 20.6%. Germany, the UK, and France accounted for more than half of European sales, with Germany alone posting 41.3% growth. Analysts attribute the surge to tightening CO2 fleet targets, sustained government subsidies, and elevated petrol prices that have made EVs more cost-competitive.eleport

North America and China Diverge

The United States remains a drag on global figures. Americans purchased 27% fewer EVs in Q1 2026 than during the same period a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book data, after the $7,500 federal tax credit was phased out in September 2025. EV market share in the US fell to 5.8% in Q1, down from a peak of 10.6% just two quarters earlier.kbb

In China, new energy vehicle retail sales stood at 950,000 units in May, down 7.5% year-over-year according to the China Passenger Car Association. Yet the NEV penetration rate hit a record 62.9% of all cars sold, underscoring that it is the broader Chinese auto market — not EV demand specifically — that is contracting. Chinese NEV exports surged 112.6% in May, accounting for a record 54% of all passenger vehicle exports.reuters

Outlook

The International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2026, released in May, projects worldwide EV sales will reach 23 million units this year, representing roughly 28% of all new car sales. The IEA noted that Europe saw the strongest growth among major markets in 2025, with electric car sales rising more than 30%. Whether global momentum can be sustained will depend largely on whether policy support in the US stabilizes and whether China’s domestic consumption recovers from its current slump.abc