Global electric car sales are stagnating
02.05.2026, 07:02 Uhr
Photo: Lars Penning/dpa
Global sales of electric cars weakened in the first quarter, with sales across 43 key markets analysed by consulting firm PwC down 1% year-on-year to just under 2.7 million.
PwC said this was unusual, with the electric vehicle market showing consistent growth, including an increase of almost a third over 2025.
A decisive factor behind the weak numbers was weak demand in China, by far the largest market. PwC counted 1.32 million electric cars there, a 20% drop compared with a year earlier. In the US, the decline was even slightly sharper at 23% to just under 233,000.
Gains in other parts of the world did not offset the trend, even though sales in Europe - specifically the EU plus the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - rose 26% to just under 724,000 vehicles. Strong sales in Germany and France were among the drivers of growth there.
Record market share
Despite the decline in absolute numbers, electric cars continued to gain relevance globally, including because sales of purely combustion-engine cars fell much more sharply, down 8%. PwC said the market share of electric cars was 16%, the highest ever for a first quarter.
PwC also said it assumed the decline in China was mainly due to one-off effects such as reduced subsidies. The trend there was already pointing upwards again. The consulting firm said it expects that sales of purely electric cars would pick up again in the second quarter.
The environment was difficult, but European manufacturers had caught up, said PwC partner Harald Wimmer.
Wimmer said that new models by European automakers met customers' tastes. In their home markets, this is reflected in rising sales volumes, which could be further supported by a potential demand boost due to high fuel prices due to the conflict in Iran.
The expert said European carmakers still needed to act on costs and the speed of innovation.
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