- BMW’s U.S. sales rose 13%, but its combined EV and PHEV deliveries fell 18.1%.
- PHEV sales grew 22.9%, meaning BMW’s American pure BEV decline was considerably steeper.
- The new iX3 could reverse the slide, with global orders already approaching 100,000.
BMW is doing well overall in America, but its plug-ins are losing popularity. Sales in the U.S. increased 13% year over year in Q2 2026 to 102,713 vehicles, above the market average for the quarter. But combined sales of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids fell 18.1% during the same period.
BMW did not break down U.S. volumes for EVs and PHEVs separately, but it did reveal that PHEV sales rose 22.9%. That eliminates some of the ambiguity, but it seems pretty obvious that BMW’s American BEV sales must have fallen much more sharply than the combined figure alone suggests. (According to estimates from Cox Automotive, BMW’s Q2 EV sales fell by about 41%, to 6,547 units from 11,094.)
It’s not surprising that BMW’s U.S. EV sales are down, with greater uptake of plug-in hybrids, as this reflects broader trends among the American car-buying public. The end of the $7,500 tax credit has dinged demand for EVs. Plus, BMW’s electric lineup isn’t the freshest, though the new i3, iX3, and iX5 should change that pretty soon. All of BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse EVs feature super-quick charging and ranges over 400 miles.
BMW specifically highlighted the upcoming U.S. launches of the new iX3 and the updated i7 as being important in the shorter term. The i3 and iX5 will reach the U.S. in 2027, giving BMW a much broader and more competitive EV lineup to rebuild sales around.
Sliding EV sales in America stand in contrast to BMW’s global performance. BMW and Mini delivered 116,807 fully electric vehicles worldwide in Q2, an increase of 5.2% year over year. EV deliveries in Europe jumped 38% to 81,445 vehicles as the new iX3 began reaching customers there first. BMW was also Germany’s second-best-selling EV manufacturer in Q2.
Looking at the first half of the year globally, the result is less positive. The BMW Group delivered 204,295 EVs worldwide through June, down 7.4% compared to 2025. Combined EV and PHEV deliveries also fell 7.4% to 295,407 vehicles, while global sales declined by 4.2%, largely due to a steep downturn in China that Mercedes-Benz has also faced.
The iX3 should give BMW’s U.S. EV sales a badly needed lift when it arrives in September, especially since global orders are already approaching 100,000. That early demand is encouraging and suggests the model is resonating with buyers around the world. Now it needs to translate that global momentum into real volume in a market where EV sales broadly are way down.