New world record with 11,000,000 electric cars sold in 9 months: Europe becomes the main driver of the market

The global electric vehicle market continues to grow and has just reached a historic figure. From January to September 2026, approximately 11 million fully electric cars were registered in the major international markets. This represents a 12% increase compared to the same period last year and confirms that global demand continues to rise, although there are significant differences between regions.

The data comes from a new analysis by consulting firm PwC, which identifies Europe as the main driver of this growth. While China, the world’s largest market, shows signs of stagnation, European registrations have surged by 42%. In contrast, the United States experiences a significant decline, differing from the trends in the rest of the world.

Europe surprises with 42% growth and 2.5 million electric cars

According to a report also published by Wirtschaftswoche, Europe registered approximately 2.5 million electric cars in the first 9 months of the year. This figure represents a 42% year-on-year increase, far exceeding the global growth rate of 12%. In fact, the European continent has become the main driver behind global sales reaching a new record.

Germany stands out particularly in this growth. The country has seen 604,000 electric vehicle registrations, 58% more than during the same period in 2025. These figures place the German market as the third largest in the world in terms of registration volume, behind China and the United States. Moreover, the gap with the U.S. market has narrowed significantly.

European growth is also reflected in statistics from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). From January to September, 1,931,465 electric cars were registered in the European Union, accounting for a 22.7% market share, up from 16.1% the previous year. France also performs well with a 79.1% increase, while Germany sees growth of 58.1% and Denmark of 40.3%.

China exceeds 6 million, while the U.S. sees a 29% drop

Despite growth in Europe, China remains the largest electric vehicle market in the world. In the first 9 months of 2026, slightly over six million fully electric vehicles were registered there, a figure almost identical to that recorded during the same period last year.

However, this stagnation does not mean that electric cars are losing prominence in China. The country’s total automobile market has shrunk by several million units, allowing electric cars to increase their share of sales. In other words, although registrations of electric cars have barely changed, their proportion within overall sales is growing.

The situation is very different in the United States. From January to September, approximately 746,000 electric cars were registered, 29% fewer than the previous year. Their market share has dropped to 6%, a significantly lower proportion compared to Europe. Despite this decline, the United States still holds the second position globally in registrations, though Germany is closing the gap rapidly. Notably, Volkswagen Group is making progress with its new “affordable” models, such as the CUPRA Raval and the Volkswagen ID. Polo, which we compare here.

Gasoline and diesel prices also boost sales

Another relevant finding from the study is that global growth in electric cars has accelerated over the past few months. While registrations increased by 12% from January to September, the year-on-year growth reached 16% during the third quarter. This indicates that the expansion rate was higher during the summer than for the whole year.

PwC also highlights the impact of high fuel prices. According to their calculations, the operating cost of an electric car is significantly lower than that of a comparable gasoline or diesel car. This difference is becoming increasingly important in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Thus, the global market is advancing at different speeds, but the figures show a clear trend: Europe has taken over as the main driver of growth, China maintains its huge volume of registrations, and the United States is falling behind global developments.