Electric cars, whose demand has been boosted by the surge in fuel prices since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, will account for nearly one in three vehicle sales worldwide in 2026.
This is revealed by the International Energy Agency, which slightly raised its May forecast in its report published this Thursday, estimating that electric vehicles will account for 29% of new car sales worldwide this year, up from 28% in its previous forecast in May, in a globally sluggish market.
These figures reflect the acceleration of the rise of electric cars relative to internal combustion engine vehicles: their market share stood at 20% in 2024 and 25% in 2025, according to the IEA.
The Agency expects 23 million electric cars to be sold worldwide this year, an increase of about 10% compared with 2025.
This rise partly offsets the dip observed for the first three months of the year and, over the entire first half, electric vehicle sales have shown only a ‘slight decline’ of around 1%, reaching ‘more than 9 million electric cars’ sold, the organization notes.
In Europe first, where support measures for electric vehicles are widespread, there was the strongest increase in electric car sales in the first half (+30% compared with the same period in 2025).
They were particularly high in Germany (+140,000), the United Kingdom (+100,000) and France (+95,000).
Turning to the United States, where after a decline in January and February following the expiry of a federal tax credit, electric car sales have rebounded since March but remain below their 2025 level.
By contrast, they have almost doubled on several already significantly developed markets, such as Australia, Brazil, South Korea, India and Vietnam.
The continuation of this momentum, combined with the development of supportive policies in several markets (including Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia), will, according to the IEA, offset the slowdown in the Chinese market.
Even though electric should reach a record market share in China this year (more than 60%), the number of electric cars sold there is expected to stagnate for the first time this decade, around 13.2 million, the IEA estimates.
All powertrains considered, the global automotive market remains sluggish. In the first half, in China and the United States, the two largest markets, new-car sales fell by 20% and by more than 3%, respectively, weighed down by the macroeconomic situation, surging fuel prices, and less favorable support policies.
These trends are expected to persist for the rest of the year, and for the global market, the IEA anticipates that “2026 will show a decline compared with 2025.”
