Global sales of electric vehicles rose to a record high of 2.1 million in September, driven by Chinese demand which accounted for over half of that global total, Rho Motion reported today.
EV sales in China last month hit 1.3 million, with the number for the first nine months of the year at 9 million cars. This was 24% higher on the first nine months of 2024. The global total of EV sales since January reached 14.7 million, up by 26% on the year.
Outside of China, EV sales in Europe benefited from the return—or extension—of subsidies, with Italy seeing a 66% expansion in its EV market and Spain recording twofold growth. Germany is expected to see a strong increase in EV sales soon, too, after the government approved a new 3-billion-euro subsidy package for the industry. Europe’s total for September stood at 427,000 EVs, up by 36% on September 2024 and by 55% on August 2025.
The UK also saw strong EV demand thanks to a new Electric Car Grant introduced earlier this year by the Starmer government, with EV sales up by 30% in September. In the United States, September EV sales surged ahead of the expiry of the $7,500 federal subsidy. The rush to take advantage of the incentive before it’s axed drove third-quarter electric car sales in the country to a record high as well. Kelley Blue Book reported sales of electric cars in the quarter to September shot up by 40.7% on the previous quarter and by 29.6% on the year.
Despite the record sales numbers, EVs remain a lot less profitable for their manufacturers, except perhaps in China. The Financial Times reported this week that some of the biggest carmakers in the world were scaling back their EV growth plans as the electric car revolution fails to deliver the expected rewards.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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