Global electric vehicle sales declined in September 2026, bringing an end to six consecutive months of growth as weaker demand in China and North America outweighed record-breaking sales in Europe.
According to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported by Reuters, global EV sales reached 2.15 million units in September, down 2% compared to the same month last year. Despite the decline, worldwide sales are still up 3% through the first nine months of 2026, reaching 15.5 million vehicles.
The slowdown comes as the EV market continues to adjust to changing government incentives. U.S. EV sales surged in the third quarter of 2025 as buyers rushed to take advantage of federal tax credits before they expired, making September 2025 a record month and creating a difficult comparison for automakers this year.
Canada has seen a different trend following the return of federal EV rebates in February. Registrations climbed 26.7% year over year in the second quarter, with 58,811 zero-emission vehicles registered, representing 10.7% of new vehicles.
Europe was September’s standout performer. Per Electrek‘s breakdown of the Benchmark data, sales climbed 39% to nearly 600,000 vehicles, a new monthly record. Germany recorded 117,000 sales, up 61%, while France jumped 78% to nearly 80,000. The UK, Spain, Portugal, and Finland also set monthly records.
China remained the largest market at 1.11 million vehicles, but sales fell 18% year over year. North America experienced an even sharper decline of 44%, with approximately 130,000 vehicles sold.
EV sales by region, September 2026
BEV + PHEV sales, millions of units (change vs. September 2025)
EV sales (millions of units)
Global total: 2.15 million (−2%). Source: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, September 2026.
Benchmark expects North America’s year-over-year comparisons to improve as the market moves beyond the unusually strong sales recorded before U.S. incentives expired. However, with China slowing and Europe accelerating, the global EV market is heading into the final quarter of 2026 with increasingly different regional trends.
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