Global EV sales hit 2 million in June – and the US falls further behind
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- Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported 2 million EVs sold globally in June 2026, bringing YTD sales to 9.6 million — up 7% year over year and 11% from May — but flagged a 'widening split' between the world's biggest markets.
- Europe recorded its strongest EV month on record in June, with sales jumping 28% month over month and 31% year over year, as government incentives, high gas prices, and a new wave of affordable models (Volkswagen's ID.Polo, Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq) pulled buyers in.
- North American EV sales are down 20% YTD, a decline Benchmark attributes to weaker policy support after Congress eliminated the US federal EV tax credit last September; both GM and Ford have seen sharper declines than the overall US market.
- Chinese automakers shipped nearly 500,000 new energy vehicles in June — another monthly export record — as domestic sales fell 11% YoY (YTD down 14%); after the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese battery EVs in 2024, builders pivoted to plug-in hybrids, which continue to climb in Europe.
- France, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal all set new monthly EV sales records in June, with Renault capturing 20% of France's EV market and its new Twingo becoming the country's third-best-selling EV.
- Canada began receiving Chinese-built EVs under its tariff quota, allowing up to 49,000 vehicles at a reduced 6.1% tariff (down from the previous 100% surtax); Lotus shipped its first Chinese-built Eletre SUVs to Canada in early July.
- Rest-of-world EV sales jumped 98% year over year, reaching 1.4 million YTD, as emerging markets — long a rounding error — become a meaningful growth lane for automakers shut out of slower US and Chinese markets.
Why it matters: Europe's incentive-driven surge is now the single biggest engine pulling the global EV market forward, while the US's tax-credit reversal is costing it share at exactly the moment American automakers (GM and Ford) are already being lapped. China's pivot to exports means Europe's tariff regime — not Chinese demand — will determine how much of Europe's new growth Chinese brands actually capture.
