Tesla and China lead global electric vehicle market

Global electric vehicle (EV) market data for the first half of 2026 shows dominance by Tesla and Chinese manufacturers. According to CleanTechnica, approximately 9.4 million pure electric vehicles were sold worldwide. The Tesla Model Y remains the world's best-selling electric car with 576,921 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3. Chinese brands such as BYD, Geely, and Xiaomi are competing aggressively through pricing. On a brand level, BYD leads with 1,590,268 units, followed by Tesla with 836,991. European models are notably absent from the top 20 global rankings, though German manufacturers like Volkswagen and BMW maintain presence in brand-level sales.

In Germany, the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bafa) has approved nearly 52,500 applications for electric vehicle purchase subsidies through September. These approved subsidies total approximately 230 million euros. The program, which targets middle- and low-income households, has seen Volkswagen and Tesla as the leading manufacturers among approved applications. The German government has allocated three billion euros from the Climate and Transformation Fund to support these purchases through 2029.