Global Electric Vehicle Sales in April Increased by 6% YoY, Europe Leads While China and US Slow Down

Consulting firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence released data on Wednesday showing that global new registrations of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles grew by 6% year-on-year in April, reaching 1.6 million, marking a positive increase for the second consecutive month. However, affected by the high base set by the historical single-month record in March, the month-on-month fell by 9%. Global cumulative sales for the first four months of this year have reached 5.6 million.

Regional divergence is the most prominent feature of this data. Electric vehicle sales in Europe grew by 27% year-on-year in April, exceeding 400,000 units, becoming the main engine for global growth. Germany has seen cumulative growth of 33% year-to-date, France 36%, and Italy has nearly doubled, driven by government subsidies. BMI data manager Charles Lester pointed out that the situation in the Middle East driving up gasoline prices, government incentive policies, and the acceleration of layout by Chinese vehicle manufacturers, have collectively supported European demand.

Chinese vehicle manufacturers are increasingly present in Europe. In 2025, 19% of electric vehicles sold in Europe were made in China, and this ratio has risen to 22% in the first four months of 2026. At the same time, China's car export scale has also expanded significantly, with exports exceeding 400,000 units in April alone and nearly 1.4 million in the first four months, doubling year-on-year.

In contrast, the North American market is under clear pressure. Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and Canada have combined to drop by 25% year-to-date, and Canada's recent introduction of a new subsidy program of up to CAD 5,000 will be monitored to see if demand is stimulated. The Chinese domestic market has also weakened, with a decline of 17% year-to-date, and BMI points out that adjustments in subsidy policies that have reduced the appeal of small electric vehicles are the main reason.