The European automotive reality: 42 out of every 100 electric cars are imported from China

15/10/2026 17:00

Updated to

15/10/2026 17:00

China remains by far the main source of electric cars that the European Union purchases from outside its borders. The latest Eurostat data show that in 2025 it accounted for 42% of Europe’s imports of electric cars, ahead of South Korea and Japan. However, there is an important nuance: a year earlier its share was 55%, so its relative importance has declined. At the same time, Europe is rapidly electrifying its own industry: nearly 40% of the 12.6 million cars manufactured in the EU during 2025 were electric or hybrid.

The data published by Eurostat provide concrete figures for an industrial transformation that has so far been discussed mainly in terms of tariffs, new factories, and the expansion of Chinese brands.

Of all electric vehicles imported by the EU from countries outside the bloc, China accounts for 42%. South Korea comes in second with 27%, and Japan ranks third at 9%. The remaining countries share roughly the other 22%.

China remains first, but has lost market share

42% is a huge figure, though a comparison with 2024 reveals an important detail. That year, China accounted for approximately 55% of the EU’s imports of electric vehicles from outside the bloc. In just one year, its share has dropped by 13 percentage points.

This does not necessarily mean that Europe is importing fewer Chinese vehicles in absolute terms. The share also depends on how purchases from South Korea, Japan, and other markets evolve.

But it does show that the supplier landscape is changing even as China maintains a clearly dominant position.

Europe is also producing more and more electric vehicles

The figures further debunk the idea that Europe simply imports electrification from Asia. In 2025, 12.6 million cars were produced in the European Union, with nearly 40% being electric or hybrid.

17% of the production was pure electric vehicles (BEVs), 7% were plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and 14% were non-plug-in hybrids (HEVs). Together, European production of these three categories approached five million units.

The economic value is also significant. Electric and hybrid vehicles manufactured in the EU reached a value of 139 billion euros, up from 123 billion euros the previous year.

Europe exports more electrified vehicles in value than it imports

Another factor prevents an over-simplification of the trade relationship. In 2025, the EU imported electric and hybrid cars worth 45.100 billion euros, 4% more than the previous year. However, it exported vehicles with these technologies for 64.700 billion euros, an increase of 10%.

Thus, Europe maintains a significant export surplus in this category. The industrial challenge is different: China accounts for an exceptionally high share of the electric cars Europe needs to import.

This 42% helps explain why Brussels is combining tariffs on electric cars manufactured in China with policies to attract factories and batteries to the continent. The competition is no longer just about selling electric cars in Europe, but about deciding where the millions of vehicles that will gradually replace internal combustion engines will be produced.