Top Selling Electric Vehicles in the World — 32% EV Share in September!
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription, on Patreon, or on Stripe. Help us produce all of the high-quality, original content we publish week after week despite the challenges of content-scraping AI, antisocial media, inflation, and other hurdles.
BEVs Up, PHEVs Down
Plugin vehicle registrations were up 3% year over year (YoY) globally in September, ending the month at around 2.16 million units, pretty darn close to the all-time record (2.17 million) set last December. Once again, BEVs (+8% YoY) and PHEVs (-9% YoY) are experiencing opposite dynamics. Pure electrics actually set a record high of 1.54 million registrations.
This means that, while plugin vehicle YTD growth remains low (+4% YoY), that is solely due to the PHEV blues (-10% YoY). BEVs are on their way back to normal (+12%).
Share-wise, September saw BEVs end the month at 23% share, with the plugin tally increasing to 32% if we add in PHEVs. This near-record performance pulled the 2026 plugin share to higher levels. BEVs are now at 18%, while plugin hybrids are at 7%. Therefore, 2026 EV share is now at 25%.
Looking at the best selling models, there’s some news. The leader Tesla Model Y hit a new all-time record (165,000 units), thanks to a 17% YoY growth rate. That larger six-seat version is doing wonders here.
The runner-up spot went to the Tesla Model 3. Despite being down 4% YoY, it picked up enough deliveries (65,000) to surpass both the small Geely Xingyuan, also known as the E2 or EX2 in export markets, and the BYD Song.
Regarding Geely’s hatchback, the export highlights were Brazil (2,724 units), Australia (1,211), Indonesia (1,890), and Thailand (1,759).
Despite being relegated to 4th, the BYD Song was actually the fastest grower among the top 5, rising 19% YoY and reaching 54,519 registrations. This was due to an export push (the highlights being Brazil — 5,892 units, Italy — 2,134 units, and Germany — 2,028 units) and the new-generation Ultra body. Flash charging capabilities promise to recharge the Song’s sales and make it a serious candidate, not only for the silver medal in 2026, but also as strong competition to the Tesla Model Y in off-peak months.
In a near-record month, records were plenty, with six models in the top 20 reaching record highs. Besides the aforementioned Tesla Model Y, all the other five record scorers were compact models — a coincidence or an indication of where the market is going?
The five record performers of September were:
#9 MG 4 — 23,082 units, with the main export markets being: Thailand (1,904 units), Brazil (6,275), Germany (3,049), Italy (2,242), and 5,250 units in its second home, the United Kingdom;
#12 Qiyuan / Nevo Q05 — 20,329 units, with the compact crossover also starting to get distributed in foreign markets, like Thailand (964 units) and Russia (300 units after being launched only in mid-September!);
#16 Leapmotor B10 — 17,125 units, with the startup’s compact crossover starting its export career with a strong focus in Europe, as seen by its main overseas markets — Germany (1,077 units) and the UK (2,050);
#17 Deepal S05 — 16,457 units, with the main foreign markets for Changan’s premium crossover being Thailand (815 units) and Spain (776);
#18 Toyota RAV4 PHEV, with the new generation of the Japanese crossover consolidating its status as the best selling legacy model. Its main markets were the USA, China, and Australia. The Toyota crossover delivered some 2,500 in each of these markets.
Finally, a mention goes out to the surprise appearance of the Geely Starray / Galaxy 7, in 19th, thanks to 15,761 registrations, its best score in 20 months. With the compact PHEV crossover currently having a rather discreet career in China, export markets are giving it a new life, with the strongest markets being Australia (1,254 units in September), the UK (3,100), and … Russia (900).
Outside the top 20, there are a few models that deserve a mention. The big highlight was the landing with a bang of the MG 07, a fastback that kind of reminds me of the Porsche Taycan and Xiaomi SU7, but sits one category below, looking to compete with the Tesla Model 3 and the BYD Seal 06. It is using its sleeker silhouette to distance itself from those options. And with over 14,000 units in its landing month, one can say that MG’s new baby could become top 20 material soon.
Other Chinese EVs are also ramping up, like the Chery QQ3 (13,000 units), Xpeng L03 (12,000), BYD’s new Great Tang flagship SUV (11,000), and the Leapmotor A05 (B03 in export markets — 12,000 units). With Leapmotor on a roll, having placed two models in the top 20 in September, of all these models ramping up, I am betting that the small Leapmotor will be the one that will sit higher on the table.
Year to date, the leader Tesla Model Y is really in its own league, selling twice as many units as the runner-up BYD Song. The Model Y is so ubiquitous now that when regular people imagine what an electric car is, they think of it. Tesla’s crossover is the gold standard of EVs.
In the remaining podium positions, the #2 BYD Song and #3 Geely Xinguan held their positions, following the September high tide month of the Model 3. This is good news for both Chinese EVs. It seems the Model 3’s sales erosion continues (down 7% this year) despite the current EV sales rush caused by the future 2026 EV Salesperson of the Year, DJT.
Having said that, with 16,000 units separating Tesla’s Model 3 from the silver medal, not all is set in stone. But if I had to bet, I would say that BYD’s bread and butter model will stay in 2nd, closely followed by the Geely hatchback, and then the Model 3 ending in 4th.
(Adding context to this race, the Tesla Model 3 has been on every podium since 2018, while the Geely Xingyuan still hasn’t won any medal.)
Elsewhere, there were five changes in the table, with the first being the premium arm of BYD, Fang Cheng Bao, pulling its Land Rover Defender fighter (25,000 euros cheaper — this thing could be a huge success in Europe) into the 8th position. Below it, the Leapmotor A10/B03X continued its rise, with the crossover climbing to 12th.
Below the small Leapmotor, three compact crossovers were also on the rise. The BYD Yuan Plus/Atto 3 jumped two positions, to 14th, while the Nevo Q05 was up to 16th and its premium cousin, the Deepal S05, joined the table in 19th.
Compact crossovers are hot right now, so lucky for Changan to have two of the most competitive examples in its lineup. True, BYD also has two representatives in that category (Sealion 05 and Yuan Plus), but then again, that would have been expected — the depth of options that the Shenzhen make has is so big that the difficulty is finding a hole in BYD’s lineup. (I have a suggestion: affordable sports car? Like a Tesla Cybercab, but with pedals and a steering wheel?)
Record breaking Toyota surpasses Volkswagen … and Wuling!
One of the biggest highlights was #2 Tesla having a record month (232,000 units, +9% YoY), but in a near record month, it wasn’t the only one to post strong results.
In fact, there were eight makes posting record results and four others performing year-best results.
#3 Geely also had something to celebrate in September, with its 130,000 registrations representing its best score of the year, mostly thanks to the fact that the Geely Xingyuan had some siblings to share the burden with this time (the Starray — 16,000 units; and the EX5 — 14,000 units). With B and C segments now covered, all they need is a strong seller in the D-segment.
Leapmotor continued on its record streak, with strong sellers in the B-segment (A10 and A05), C-segment (B10), and D-segment (C10). If there is anything currently holding back the startup, it is that the company lacks the dealership scale of BYD or Geely. But give it time….
Below the top four, we have something big happening — the rise and rise of Toyota (61,332 registrations, its fourth record in a row), which allowed it to end ahead of Volkswagen. Again. So, the Japanese globetrotter finished the month as the best selling legacy make. Again. All this despite Volkswagen placing a year-best result of 58,000 units.
Here, also, the establishment is being challenged, with the longtime leader of legacy brands being surpassed by a player that many still consider a sleeping giant.
Well, I guess the giant is now awake….
And it’s not only Toyota’s RAV4 PHEV and BZ4X contributing to the volumes, as its Chinese operations are also delivering (the BZ3X compact crossover was the company’s third model to deliver over 10,000 units in September).
Another surprise was MG’s strong result, ending the month in 7th thanks to a record 57,000 registrations. Building on the MG 4 hachback’s success, if the MG 7 becomes the roaring success that its order list (over 50,000 units) and landing month point to, then Volkswagen will have yet another brand to worry about….
The #9 Kia is also on a record streak, having ended the month in 9th with some 50,000 registrations. With a freshly developed BEV lineup, the Korean is now sowing the seeds of an early investment in dedicated BEV platforms.
Still in Legacy Land, Mercedes has a similar story to Kia. With an ambitious BEV development plan, the German make is finally pushing its sales into record territory (40,000 units), and with new models coming in (GLA EV, C-Class EV, VLE, etc.), expect the Stuttgart brand to start getting in the rearview mirror of arch rival BMW. Maybe that pushes the Bavarian into more quickly deploying the next generation of BEVs (i4, iX1, iX2, i1, i2…).
But it seems BMW is in no hurry. I mean, even Audi had a year best result in September (34,000 units). BMW? Not even that.
The remaining highlights belonged to Chinese makes, with #15 Zeekr and #18 Chery posting record highs while #16 Fang Cheng Bao delivered year-best results. The highlight was Chery. Once known for being an ICE-heavy brand, it is now benefitting from the success of its new QQ3 EV (13,000 units) and joining the EV best seller rankings.
Toyota surpasses BMW and now goes after #5 Volkswagen
As for the year-to-date table, there was no major news in the top four positions, which already seem to be secured through the end of the year. However, below it, things are changing.
Rising Toyota surpassed Wuling and is now 6th. The Japanese make is some 20,000 units behind #5 Volkswagen, and while that might sound like a lot, there are still three months to go. With Toyota breaking records every passing month, it seems possible to shorten the distance by some 7,000 units every month and end ahead of Volkswagen by the end of December. To be continued…
Two more Chinese brands went up: SAIC’s MG jumped two positions, to #10, while Changan’s Qiyuan/Nevo mainstream brand joined the table at #20, much thanks to the success of the Q05 crossover.
Looking at OEMs, BYD (20.2%, down 0.1%) is stable in the lead, while runner-up Geely (9.8%, down from 9.9% in August) is holding a good distance over 3rd placed Tesla (8.7%, up 0.4% from August).
#4 Volkswagen Group (7%) is stable in 4th, just like SAIC (6.2%) is in 5th.
Behind the top 5, though, things are shaking up. Rising #6 Leapmotor (4.4%, up from 4.3% in August) is safe, but behind it, #7 Hyundai–Kia (3.9%, down 0.1%) is now being closely followed by #8 Chery (3.9%, up 0.1%). With just 3,000 units separating the two, we might see the Chinese OEM surpass the Korean in Q4.
Another OEM on the rise is Toyota (3%, up 0.1%), which joined the top 10 at the expense of BMW (2.9%, down 0.1%).
Looking just at BEVs, there were about 10.8 million registrations so far this year, or 71% of total plugin sales. A year ago, BEVs represented just 66% of plugin sales, so the PHEV slowdown is quite visible.
BYD (15.8%, up 0.3%) is at the top, benefitting from the OEM’s recent shift into BEVs. It is followed by Tesla (12.2%, up 0.6%). In 3rd place, we have Geely (8.8%), which is also safe in the last place of the podium, so the medal positions should be decided by now.
Meanwhile, there was a position change below the podium, with SAIC (6.3%) surpassing Volkswagen Group (6.3%, down 0.1%), so the Shanghai OEM is the new 4th placed. But with fewer than 4,000 units separating the two, anything can still happen.
Outside the top 5, Leapmotor (4.6%, up from 4.5% in August) climbed into the 6th position, at the expense of Hyundai–Kia (4.4% share, down 0.1%).
As an
Easter
Halloween Egg, here are the top sellers in the pickup truck, MPV, and sports car categories:
Pickups:
BYD Shark 06 — 31,064
Tesla Cybertruck — 16,392
Ford Ranger PHEV — 15,118
With the Ford F-150 EV now part of the past, a new pickup king is among us, and it is part of BYD’s stable. With the following two models selling roughly half of its volume, and a China market entry said to be coming soon, expect BYD’s Shark model to rule this category in the coming years.
Having said that, a certain Toyota Hilux BEV is ramping up, having delivered around the same number of units in September as the Cybertruck and the Ranger, so expect the 2027 race for the podium to be more entertaining, especially if a certain Slate ramps up production without major hiccups.
MPVs/Minivans
Wuling Starlight 730 / Darion — 58,704
Vinfast MPV 7 / Limo Green — 57,583
Denza D9 — 51,050
Now, this was a surprise. Media-friendly VW ID.Buzz? Way behind, at roughly half of the current winner. Giant Chinese minivans? The best one is only 3rd, closely followed by the Voyah Dreamer. MPVs are mostly surviving extinction because of Asian markets, and it shows. The category leader is a midsize MPV, and while its main market is its domestic China, others, like Thailand and Indonesia, where it’s known as Darion, also provide significant volumes to Wuling’s MPV.
But an even bigger surprise is the 2nd placed Vinfast MPV 7 (Limo Green in ride hailing/taxi spec). The compact seven seater, which is a sort of MPV disguised as a crossover (not unlike certain NIO designs), has most of its sales coming from native Vietnam, but some export markets are also contributing to the volume, like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Sports cars/Coupés
Mercedes CLE — 2,837
Ferrari 296 — 2,322
MG Cyberster — 2,137
This is a category in crisis. With no new players; the 2026 winner, the Dodge Charger, experiencing crashing sales (down 89% YoY); and the Ferrari 296 also suffering from shrinking sales, the only highlight is the Mercedes CLE, which went from 3rd last year to it current uncontested leadership position.
Still, expect this category to receive some much needed fresh metal in 2027, like the Denza Z (of course BYD had to get into the action…), the Porsche 718 twins (Boxster and Cayman), Audi’s take on the Porsche 718 (Audi TT?), and the next-generation Alpine A110.