Sales of new electric vehicles in the United States have outpaced Europe for the first time ever, with the country seeing a record-breaking sales figure of 344,000 throughout Q3.
According to data from New AutoMotive’s Global Electric Vehicle Tracker (GEVT), this record is despite a slow end to the quarter, with over 104,000 EVs sold in the last month.
Over 1.05 million EVs were sold globally in September, a figure representing 18.6% of total market share, and taking the number of EVs sold in the year to September 2024 up to 10.6 million.
Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal all saw their EV sales rise more than 30% on September last year. In the same period, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain saw sales jump 50%.
Germany – a country that has been hindered by the chaotic withdrawal of subsidies at the beginning of the year – saw EV sales increase on September 2023 levels by 8.7%.
The UK had an exceptionally strong month for EV sales, registering more than 10,000 additional sales compared with September 2023 – putting the country on course to be the fourth largest EV market in the world.
Tesla continued to hold its grip on the European market, with sales in the 12 months to September more than 50% higher than BMW and Volkswagen. In China it’s a different story, with BYD selling close to double that of second-place Tesla.
Staying in China, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles continue their steep decline. September’s ICE sales saw a decrease of 18% on the same month last year, with their overall market share falling to 54%.
Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive, said: “Sales of EVs continue to grow globally as governments around the world continue to encourage the uptake of cleaner transport by ratcheting up the ambitions of their EV policies.
“But Europe risks falling behind in the global race to electrify transport as sales growth lags behind the US, and European policymakers contemplate calls to abandon long-established emissions rules.
“Abrupt cuts to incentives and the introduction of tariffs in Europe have put a dent in Europe’s EV sales growth, but they will not stand in the way of the inevitable rise of this technology and the promise of cleaner, cheaper transport. The only question is whether Europe wants a slow and painful transition or to hold course and attract jobs, growth and investment in new clean vehicle manufacturing, and cheaper transport for all.”
New AutoMotive’s monthly tracker analyses progress in the global phase out of sales of diesel and petrol vehicles. The platform covers car sales, targets, incentives, and regulations in 42 major automotive markets – nearly 85% of the world’s new car sales.
