New Data Reveals The Most Popular Electric Car Brands In The World

Sales of electric vehicles reached 2.1 million globally in 2019, with figures expected to accelerate in the latter end of 2020 due to motorists rethinking their needs during the lockdown.

So, which EV brands are the most popular? Uswitch has done the research and created an interactive map to reveal which models and makes people are investing in around the world.

According the research, Tesla dominates the EV market in over a third (37%) of countries analysed. With Tesla selling 365,500 cars in 2019 – more than three times more than they did in 2017 (103,100) – this result is no shock.

While Tesla commands the electric car market in the likes of Canada, USA, China, the United Kingdom and Australia, Nissan is the EV leader in many European countries such as Portugal, Poland, Ireland and Hungary.

The UK has over 30,000 charge point connectors across the country,^] with Tesla also having an even distribution of charging points across Britain^]. This suggests there is an ever-growing demand for EV charging points, particularly when comparing the figures to 2017 when there were less than 15,000^] charging points in the UK – half of what are currently available.

From the research, it is clear to see the Model 3 from Tesla dominates the EV market by a large percentage, as it is the top-selling model in 19 countries. In the UK, Model 3 sales spiked in April and May during the lockdown as motorists began rethinking their needs during the peak of coronavirus^]. EV sales are also predicted to accelerate in the latter end of 2020 as vehicles continue to become more affordable and Britons realise they can save money on bills by purchasing one.

Following the leading EV provider is Nissan, with their Leaf model taking the prime spot in nine countries (such as Japan, Poland and Portugal) and then Renault’s Zoe, which is the top-selling model in six countries (such as France, Italy and Spain).

However, the research reveals there is a lack of EV funding in many countries around the world. Nearly the entire continent of Africa has no EV data available, many countries in South America, like Chile and Ecuador, are lacking investment – and Central Asia, such as Pakistan and Iran are also lagging behind in the market. This suggests the industry still has a lot of work to do in order to create a cleaner and greener environment.

Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com comments:

“The research reveals the Tesla Model 3 dominates the market in 19 countries – this may be due to the fact that it is the most affordable Tesla available on the market, but also comes with the autopilot system. It is also good to see other manufacturers such as Renault and Nissan gain success in the EV market in many countries, too.

“Perhaps in the years to come – as more people start opting for energy-efficient cars and waking up to the benefits of them – we’ll begin to see many more car manufacturers break into the industry, as well as conquer the African market.

“Electric vehicles are often a lot cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars, making them an affordable and efficient option. If you’re thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle it’s also important to consider the costs of charging it when weighing up your options as costs can vary depending on your energy tariff.”

Top EV manufacturers around the world