Global EV sales reached 1.6 million units in April 2026, bringing total sales for the year so far to 5.6 million, according to new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
April global EV sales were up 6% year over year but down 9% from March, after what Benchmark described as a particularly strong March for EV demand.
Europe is now driving most of the growth in the global EV market, while China and North America are both seeing slower sales.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data manager Charles Lester said the market is becoming increasingly uneven across regions.
“Europe remains the main engine of growth,” Lester said, pointing to rising gasoline prices, government incentives, and a growing presence of Chinese automakers.
Europe’s EV sales keep accelerating
Europe had another strong month for EV sales in April, with volumes rising 27% year over year to just over 400,000 units.
Germany’s EV sales are up 33% year to date, while France is up 36%. Italy’s EV market has nearly doubled thanks to government subsidies, and Chinese automakers are taking a growing share of those sales.
Rising gasoline prices tied to the conflict in the Middle East are also pushing more buyers toward EVs. EV sales growth year over year in Europe accelerated from 19% in January and February to 30% across March and April.
Chinese-built EVs are becoming a bigger part of the European market, too. In 2025, 19% of EVs sold in Europe were built in China. That figure has climbed to 22% so far in 2026.
At the same time, Chinese automakers are increasingly looking to manufacture vehicles in Europe rather than relying solely on exports.
In April, Stellantis and Leapmotor announced plans to build Leapmotor’s B10 electric SUV at Stellantis’ Zaragoza plant in Spain, potentially starting in 2026.
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume also said on April 30 that sharing unused factory space with Chinese automakers could be a “clever solution” to Europe’s excess manufacturing capacity.
Meanwhile, XPeng built its first locally produced P7+ at Magna Steyr’s Graz facility in Austria, and BYD continues ramping up production at its plant in Szeged, Hungary.
North America is still lagging
North American EV sales are down 25% year to date across the US and Canada, according to Benchmark.
Mexico is the outlier. Its EV market has grown nearly 50%, largely because Chinese automakers shipped a large number of vehicles into the country before Mexico introduced a 50% tariff on EV imports from countries without a free trade agreement.
Canada’s EV market is down 7% year to date, but the country recently launched a new Electric Vehicle Affordability Program that offers incentives of up to CAD $5,000 for qualifying EVs.
Canada also introduced a quota system earlier this year that allows 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter the country without the country’s 100% tariff.
In the US, Rivian has started customer production of its R2 at its factory in Normal, Illinois.
Rivian also said it plans to increase planned annual production capacity at its future Georgia plant from 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles, with production expected to begin in late 2028.
Elon Musk also confirmed that Tesla has begun production of the Cybercab, though larger volumes aren’t expected until late 2026.
China’s EV exports are booming
China’s EV market is down 17% year to date, and Benchmark says much of the slowdown is concentrated in smaller EVs after subsidy changes made those vehicles less attractive to buyers.
But while domestic demand has weakened, exports are booming.
China exported more than 400,000 EVs in April alone. Over the first four months of 2026, exports reached nearly 1.4 million EVs – more than double the same period in 2025.
That flood of exports is reshaping markets worldwide, especially in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia, where Chinese-built EVs are becoming increasingly common.
Read more: Europe’s EV sales surge just hit 51% – and oil is the reason why
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