Global EV Sales Grew by 28%, to Over 9 Million in First Half of 2025

Rho Motion, a Benchmark Mineral Intelligence company specializing in electric vehicle (EV) supply chain research, has released new data revealing that global EV sales reached an impressive 9.1 million units in the first half of 2025. This marks a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024, highlighting continued momentum in the transition to electric mobility.

June 2025 alone saw EV sales grow by 24% year-on-year and 7% month-on-month versus May 2025, underscoring sustained demand despite broader economic uncertainties.

Breaking down the numbers by region, China remains the powerhouse of EV adoption, with 5.5 million vehicles sold in H1 2025—a 32% year-on-year surge. Europe also demonstrated robust growth, registering 2.0 million sales, up 26%. In North America, sales increased modestly by 3% to 0.9 million, reflecting a more cautious market shaped by policy shifts and infrastructure rollout challenges.

The “Rest of World” category, including emerging markets, saw the fastest growth rate at 40%, totaling 0.7 million vehicles. This highlights an encouraging trend toward wider global adoption beyond traditional EV strongholds.

As automakers continue to expand model offerings and improve affordability, and as battery supply chains scale up, these latest figures from Rho Motion suggest that 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for global EV adoption. With strong policy support in key regions and consumer interest steadily rising, the industry is set for further acceleration in the second half of the year.

Rho Motion Data Manager, Charles Lester, commented: 

“Today’s EV sales figures of the first half of 2025 show that China and Europe are steaming ahead in terms of the electric transition. Over one in two electric vehicles sold in the world are being bought in China and around half of purchased new cars in the country are electric. Despite some nervousness over subsidies, we expect this strong EV sales trend to continue over the course of the year. European growth, while strong, hasn’t been uniform across the region. The UK and Germany are leading the way, leaving France in their dust as price-sensitive drivers continue to be at the mercy of subsidies. North America, and in particular Canada, is experiencing a slowdown of EV sales in 2025. With Trump’s latest cuts in his ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the USA could struggle to see any growth in the EV market overall in 2025.”

In Europe, sales grew by 26% year-to-date (YTD), reaching 2.0 million units. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) also saw 26% growth, boosted by the popularity of new small-segment models like the Renault 4 and Renault 5, and automakers’ efforts to meet — albeit relaxed — emissions targets. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) grew slightly faster at 27%, partly driven by Chinese manufacturers leveraging PHEVs to bypass BEV tariffs. EVinfo.net expects the UK to see a boost soon from its forward-thinking £63 million investment package to accelerate electric vehicle adoption.

Spain led the charge in Europe with a remarkable 85% YTD growth, helped by robust incentives and an extension of the MOVES III scheme until year-end. Germany and the UK posted strong growth at 40% and 32%, respectively, while France lagged behind at -13% due to subsidy cuts.

In North America, the market slowed significantly, with just 3% growth YTD. Canada remained down at -23%, Mexico rose by 20%, and the U.S. managed a modest 6% gain. The U.S. market faces further uncertainty following the recent “Big Beautiful Bill,” which terminates all Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) EV tax credits by September 30, 2025. Over half of U.S. EV sales this year have relied on these credits, suggesting a short-term sales spike before a potential Q4 decline.

China, meanwhile, remains the global leader, posting 32% growth YTD despite emerging negative sentiment and local subsidy challenges. Some cities exhausted EV incentives in the first half of 2025, sparking fears of a slowdown. However, fresh funding expected later this year could reignite demand, with strong growth still anticipated in the final months of 2025.

EVinfo.net’s Take

Does the United States really want to be last place globally in electric vehicles? That’s where we are headed, unless the federal government reverses all recent policy decisions regarding EVs.

Clearly, the rest of the world is adopting EVs at lightning speed. The United States pulling its support for EVs will have disastrous effects for all Americans, including EV critics.

National security will decrease. Since EVs use domestically-produced electricity, these vehicles avoid economic disasters tied to foreign oil, like the 1970’s oil embargo.

China will keep winning. As the leader in global EV production and adoption, China will only move ahead faster and grab more global market share, forcing US-based OEMs to shrink.

Jobs will be lost. US-based OEMs depend on foreign sales to compete.

America’s drivers will lose money. EVs are the most cost-effective transportation. Gas vehicles cost more to own over the long term.

Global human-caused climate change will get worse, due in part from pollution coming from gas vehicles. EVs are the most eco-friendly transportation. A recent EU report showed battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have life-cycle emissions nearly four times lower than gasoline cars.

However, not all is doom and gloom in the US. EV adoption will keep growing, even without any government help, just more slowly. The massive cost-effectiveness is the most compelling reason, just one reason among many to go electric.