Global electric car sales rose about 20% to more than 20 million in 2025, roughly a quarter of all new cars sold.
The share of new cars that are electric has been climbing for years, but 2025 is the year it reached a round and meaningful number: according to the International Energy Agency, more than 20 million electric cars were sold worldwide, up about 20% on 2024, making up roughly a quarter of all new cars sold, up from about one in five a year earlier.
How we know
China did most of the lifting, with more than 13 million electric cars, over 60% of the global total and about 55% of its own new-car market, while Europe reached around 28%. The independent tracker Rho Motion put global sales at 20.7 million, almost exactly matching the IEA and corroborating its figures, and the fleet displaced roughly 1.2 million barrels of oil a day over the year.
Why it matters
Two honest qualifiers matter: electric here includes plug-in hybrids, which still burn petrol, not only battery-only cars, and progress is uneven, with China and Europe pulling the average up while the United States sat just under 10% as tax credits ended. This is the share of new cars sold, not of cars on the road, which remains far lower. Still, new-car sales decide the future of the fleet, and a quarter of them going electric is a threshold worth marking: the direction of travel, for once, is not in much doubt.
Electric here includes plug-in hybrids, which still use petrol, and this is the share of new cars sold, not of cars on the road, which is far lower. Progress is uneven: China and Europe lead, while US sales sat under 10% as incentives ended.
How many electric cars were sold in 2025?
More than 20 million worldwide, about 20 percent up on 2024, which worked out at roughly a quarter of all new cars sold. China accounted for more than 13 million of them, around 60 percent of the global total and close to 55 percent of its own new-car market.
Does electric here mean battery-only cars?
No. The IEA counts battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars together, and plug-in hybrids still burn petrol. This is also the share of new cars sold, not the share of cars on the road, which remains far lower.
Is the shift happening everywhere?
No, it is very uneven. Europe reached about 28 percent of its new car sales, while the United States sat just below 10 percent of its own market as tax credits ended. The global average is being pulled up by China and Europe.
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