IEA: Electric car sales hit record quarterly levels in 50 countries amid Middle East energy crisis

Sales of electric cars rebounded strongly in the second quarter of 2026, rising 35% compared with the first three months of the year and reaching record quarterly levels in 50 countries, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) (iea.org).

The analysis in Electric Car Markets in a Time of Uncertainty, an update to the IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2026, found that electric car sales were also 4% higher year-on-year in the second quarter. This nearly fully offset a first-quarter decline, leaving first-half 2026 electric car sales only slightly lower than the same period in 2025. Overall, electric vehicles accounted for 24% of global car sales in the first half of 2026, slightly above the share in the first half of 2025 (iea.org).

The rebound occurred even as the broader global car market weakened. Total car sales fell by around 5% year-on-year from January through June 2026, primarily due to declines in the world’s two largest markets, China and the United States, amid economic pressures, higher fuel prices and policy changes (iea.org).

The IEA linked the stronger electric car performance in part to the energy crisis sparked by conflict in the Middle East, which brought fuel price volatility back into focus. Road vehicles account for nearly half of global oil use, making the sector exposed to price spikes and supply disruptions. In Australia, Brazil, India, Korea and Viet Nam—all sizeable electric car markets—sales roughly doubled between March and June compared with the same period in 2025. More than 90 countries recorded year-on-year growth in electric car sales during the first half of 2026 (iea.org).

As a result of this momentum, combined with new and continued policy support in markets including Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia, the IEA now expects electric car sales to reach 29% of total car sales worldwide in 2026. That is one percentage point higher than projected in the May 2026 Global EV Outlook (iea.org).

China remains a key variable. Electric car sales there are expected to stagnate in 2026 compared with the previous year for the first time this decade, even as their share of total car sales rises above 60%, an all-time high. Chinese car exports grew 65% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, with electric car exports rising over 120%, fully compensating for the drop in domestic electric car sales. Electric car exports from China in the first six months of 2026 nearly matched the full-year 2025 total. The IEA estimates that only around two-thirds of recent exports have been sold overseas so far, leaving more than 1 million electric cars available in global inventories (iea.org).

The report notes that Chinese manufacturers hold a strong position in electric cars, particularly in emerging markets, and that intensifying competition is reshaping the industry as value shifts toward batteries, electronics and software. China and other emerging economies are projected to represent around 60% of global car demand over the next decade (iea.org).