Electric vehicle sales in Europe rose 39% in September — Electrek

Nearly 600,000 electric vehicles were sold in Europe in September 2026, 39% more than in the same month last year. This is a new monthly record for the region: the figure exceeded the previous high, set in June, by 10%. Electrek reports, citing Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data.

The European market accelerated

Fully electric vehicles were the main driver of September's growth: their sales increased by 50% year-on-year. Sales of plug-in hybrids rose by 16%.

The highest monthly electric vehicle sales figures were recorded in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal and Finland. In France, sales rose by 78% to nearly 80,000 vehicles, while in Germany they increased by 61% to 117,000. In the United Kingdom, registrations were more than three times higher than in August, while electric vehicles' market share remained at approximately 40%.

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Compared with August, the European market grew by 62%, as buyers returned after the summer slowdown. Over nine months, 3.9 million electric vehicles were sold in the region, 30% more than during the same period in 2025.

Decline in North America and China

In North America, September electric vehicle sales fell by 44% year-on-year, to approximately 130,000 units. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence cautioned that the comparison is with September 2025, when U.S. buyers more actively purchased electric cars ahead of the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit.

China sold 1.11 million electric vehicles in September: this was 7% more than in August but 18% less year-on-year. Globally, 2.15 million electric vehicles were sold during the month, and 15.5 million from January through September, which is 3% more than last year's result. Outside China, Europe and North America, sales in September increased by 81%, to about 310,000 vehicles.