Europe & global EV market — spring 2026
· EVTrader Market Report
Battery-electric cars reached 19.7% of EU new-car registrations in the first four months of 2026, global EV sales rose 26% year-on-year, and BYD cemented its lead over Tesla. An independent, sourced snapshot of the market.
Key figures
Largest battery-electric makers — April 2026 (global)
| 1 | BYD | 163,100 |
| 2 | Tesla | 98,400 |
| 3 | Geely | 80,600 |
Battery-electric vehicles sold, April 2026 · source: EV-Volumes
Market
Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 19.7% of European Union new-car registrations in January–April 2026, up from 15.3% a year earlier, according to ACEA. The overall EU car market grew 4.2% year-to-date through April. Hybrids remained the single most popular powertrain at 38.6% of registrations, while plug-in hybrids reached 9.5% in the first quarter, up from 7.6%. Combined, fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars now make up close to 30% of EU sales — a steady, if not explosive, recovery after a flat 2025, when battery-electric cars closed the year at a 17.4% share.
Regional divergence
April data diverged sharply by region. European battery-electric sales rose 38% to 298,203 units, lifting penetration to 25.9% from 20.0% a year earlier. United States battery-electric sales fell 19% to 75,349 units, leaving penetration at just 5.5%. China's battery-electric sales dipped 1% to 642,317 units, with penetration at 30.1%. On global volumes, China accounts for roughly half of new EV sales, Europe close to a third and the United States a high-single-digit share.
Global leaders & brands
BYD has cemented its lead over Tesla, delivering 2.26 million battery-electric vehicles in 2025 against Tesla's 1.64 million — the first time it overtook the US maker on a full-year basis. In April, BYD led battery-electric makers with 163,100 units, ahead of Tesla at 98,400 and Geely at 80,600. Among manufacturers, Stellantis unveiled a EUR 60 billion plan with 29 battery-electric models and a single STLA One platform by 2030, while Ferrari revealed its first all-electric car, the Luce, due in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Charging & infrastructure
Charging capacity continued to scale. Ionity secured up to EUR 600 million to expand its European ultra-fast network and began validating a megawatt-capable platform; it is part of ChargeLeague, which now spans over 1,700 stations and more than 11,000 high-power points across 25 countries. The Megawatt Charging System for heavy trucks moved from pilots to deployment across Europe and North America. In the US, automaker-backed Ionna passed 100 fast-charging sites, and Stellantis switched on access to more than 27,500 Tesla Superchargers.
Policy
Policy turned supportive in key markets. Germany is reviving electric-car demand with a roughly EUR 4 billion, income-targeted programme offering grants of up to EUR 6,000 for battery-electric cars and EUR 4,500 for plug-in hybrids. At EU level, the Commission published guidance to replace punitive tariffs on Chinese-made EVs (7.8%–35.3%) with a minimum-price mechanism. And bidirectional charging became economically viable in Germany for the first time after Parliament abolished double grid fees, paving the way for vehicle-to-grid services in 2026.