One in six new Mercedes passenger cars worldwide now fully electric
Mercedes-Benz Group sold 78,100 electric vehicles in the third quarter. These accounted for 16 per cent of all Mercedes cars and vans sold worldwide - up by more than six percentage points compared to the same period last year. However, China remains an extremely challenging market for the Stuttgart-based company.
Image: Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz Group registered 78,100 delivered BEVs between July and September. This represents a 24 per cent increase compared to the second quarter and a 52 per cent rise over the same period last year. Of all BEVs, 68,400 units (+61 per cent year-over-year) were passenger cars, while 9,700 units (+12 per cent) were vans. Across all drivetrains, the group sold 491,700 cars and vans (-6 per cent year-over-year) in the past quarter. The significance of electric models is highlighted by the electric share (E-Quote): in the passenger car segment, this rose from 9.6% in Q2 2025 to 16.8 per cent now. In other words: one in six new Mercedes passenger cars had an electric drivetrain in the past three months. Including plug-in hybrids, 25 per cent of Mercedes-Benz Cars’ global sales in the third quarter were electrified vehicles, referred to by Mercedes as ‘xEV’.
Let’s examine the performance of Mercedes-Benz Cars in detail: the passenger car division sold 407,200 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter, an 8 per cent decline compared to the same quarter last year – consistent with the Q2 results this year. The weak performance in China continues to be a factor: with only 86,800 units sold in Q3, sales in the country plummeted by 31 per cent. This is part of a long-standing trend.
In other markets, however, Mercedes is performing better: “Outside China, sales increased by 1 per cent.” The primary drivers were Europe (+5 per cent) and North America (+4 per cent) – with Germany performing particularly well (+13 per cent).
Europe remains the core market for BEVs
Focusing on battery-electric sales, Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 68,400 BEVs globally between July and September, a 61 per cent increase over the same period last year. Europe remains the absolute core market, with growth of 78 per cent year-over-year and 24 per cent compared to Q2. According to the manufacturer, “almost one in three Mercedes-Benz cars sold being fully electric” in this region.
| | Q3 2025 | Delta (in %) | Q1-Q3 2025 | Delta (in %) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercedes-Benz Group | 491.700 | -6 | 1.503.200 | -6 |
| – of which BEVs | 78.100 | +52 | 191.400 | +38 |
| Mercedes-Benz Cars | 407.200 | -8 | 1.244.400 | -7 |
| – of which BEVs | 68.400 | +61 | 165.500 | +40 |
| Mercedes-Benz Vans | 84.400 | +1 | 258.800 | -1 |
| – of which eVans | 9.700 | +12 | 25.800 | +28 |
Key contributors to this strong performance, according to Mercedes, were the electric CLA, electric GLC, and electric GLB: GLC sales more than tripled compared to the second quarter. Sales of the electric CLA variants increased by 24 per cent over the second quarter, accompanied by the launch of the model series in additional markets, including the USA and Japan. The new electric GLB also got off to a successful start, building on the success of its predecessor. Mercedes emphasises: “The battery electric variants of the GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the remainder of the year, with order books extending well into 2027 […]To meet this strong demand, the Bremen, Rastatt and Kecskemét plants operate on three-shift schedules..”
For the regions of Asia (including China), North America, and other markets grouped under ‘Rest of the World’, Mercedes does not provide specific BEV sales figures but only the overall sales development across all drivetrains as outlined above. However, the Stuttgart-based company emphasises that the launch of new electric models will drive its ambition to “significantly increase electric vehicle sales in 2026.” The new electric C-Class, known as a potential volume driver, has been available for order in Europe since May and is expected to soon boost statistics with notable deliveries.
25 per cent of all new Mercedes passenger cars are plug-in
Mercedes-Benz Cars does not provide separate information on plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales. However, calculations show that around 8 per cent of all global sales were plug-in hybrids. Combined with the known share of BEVs, this results in the aforementioned 25 per cent of plug-in vehicles (‘xEV’).
The manufacturer dedicates a longer section of its statistics presentation to the topic of China: “In China, Mercedes-Benz Cars sales declined by 31 per cent amid continued challenging passenger market conditions and intense competition. Together, the GLC and E-Class accounted for almost two-thirds of Mercedes-Benz Cars sales in China and remained more resilient than the overall market.” Additionally: “The new electric GLC L, launched in July, is successfully ramping up and has been well received by customers in China. In mid-September, Mercedes-Benz launched the new locally produced GLE L SUV.” Furthermore, in the coming months, an AI-powered cockpit and an advanced driver assistance system will be rolled out across almost the entire range.
Mathias Geisen, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Sales & Customer, commented: “Mercedes-Benz Cars achieved the highest quarterly BEV sales in the company’s history, led by the electric GLC, whose sales more than tripled compared with Q2. Outside China, car sales increased for the third consecutive quarter in 2026. Our new electric models GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the rest of the year, with order books extending into 2027. This demonstrates that our product launch programme is in full swing.”
Eleven per cent of new vans are electric
Finally, let’s look at Q3 sales for Mercedes-Benz Vans: the division recorded 84,400 sales in the past quarter, including 9,700 BEVs. While total sales remained almost flat compared to last year (+1 per cent), the 9,700 BEVs represent a 12 per cent increase over Q2 2025 and a -4 per cent change compared to Q2 2026. The global electric share increased to 11.5 per cent (Q3 2025: 10 per cent). In Europe, the electric share was even higher at 15 per cent (Q3 2025: 14 per cent).