BMW sees BEV deliveries rise in Q3 2026
In the third quarter of this year, the BMW Group delivered 110,257 all-electric cars worldwide - representing a 7.2 per cent increase year-on-year. Sales saw significant growth, particularly in Europe and Germany. However, for the first nine months, the electric vehicle balance sheet still showed a deficit.
BMW iX3
Image: BMW
Overall, the Munich-based group has significantly increased its BEV deliveries between July and September compared to the same period last year. This marks a reversal of the trend seen in the first half of 2026, when BEV deliveries were 7.4 per cent lower than in the first half of 2025.
However, for the current year, there remains a cumulative decline in BEV deliveries: from January to the end of September, deliveries of battery-electric vehicles totalled 314,552 – 2.7 per cent fewer than in the first nine months of 2025. In addition, there were 131,650 plug-in hybrids.
Relative to total deliveries across all powertrains, this results in a BEV share of 20 per cent in Q3 2026. In other words: between July and September, one in five passenger cars delivered by BMW was a BEV. For the current year, the share from January to September stands at 18.4 per cent.
BMW sees strong growth in BEV sales across Europe
The BEV business developed particularly strongly in Europe. There, the BMW Group delivered 81,941 fully electric vehicles in the third quarter, representing growth of 37.5 per cent. In Germany, BEV deliveries increased by 38.5 per cent. As a result, more than one in three vehicles delivered by the BMW Group in Europe was a BEV: the BEV share in the third quarter was 34.7 per cent. These figures include the BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands.
The Mini brand also made a significant contribution to the BEV business: it increased its total deliveries in the first nine months by 6.8 per cent to 220,247 vehicles. The share of fully electric models (Aceman Electric, Cooper Electric, Countryman Electric) was 37.2 per cent. Although the BMW Group does not provide an absolute figure here, this roughly translates to around 82,000 BEVs from Mini in the first three quarters of the year. Thus, electric powertrains already account for a significant portion of Mini’s deliveries.
The overall delivery performance for the BMW Group is weaker, however. From July to September, the group delivered a total of 551,072 vehicles worldwide across all powertrains, 6.3 per cent fewer than in the same quarter last year. Since the beginning of the year, deliveries have totalled 1,707,799 vehicles, a decline of 4.9 per cent. The main issue remains China: in this sales region, deliveries fell by 24.8 per cent in the third quarter and by 21.8 per cent in the first nine months. In Europe and the USA, however, BMW was able to increase deliveries.
BMW iX3 in high demand
“In difficult market conditions, we were able to hold our own in Europe and the US. The continued strength in new orders for our fully electric vehicles, in particular, confirms our course. The BMW iX3 is providing positive impetus for growth in the market, and we are also seeing strong customer interest in the new BMW 3 Series and BMW X5,” said Jochen Goller, Board Member for Sales. “The product momentum generated by our Neue Klasse models and Neue Klasse technologies strengthens our position for the challenges ahead.”
BMW expects further impetus for its BEV business from its Neue Klasse electric platform, introduced this year with the BMW iX3. The iX3 alone has received more than 100,000 orders in Europe within a year. The sister model iX4, a fully electric SUV coupé, has just been unveiled. In November, the Chinese version of the new iX3 is also set to be introduced, aiming to reverse the trend there. Additionally, the electric i3 sedan has just launched.
Compared to other German automakers, BMW’s global BEV share of 20 per cent is high. At the Volkswagen Group, only one in eight vehicles delivered in Q3 was a BEV. While the group’s BEV deliveries in Europe increased by 19.6 per cent, they declined by 4.7 per cent worldwide. At Mercedes-Benz, the BEV share in the passenger car business was 16.8 per cent in the third quarter – meaning one in six vehicles was a full-time BEV. The Stuttgart-based company sold 68,400 fully electric passenger cars worldwide, 61 per cent more than in the same period last year.