Global EV and hybrid sales to hit 30% of car market this year, IEA forecasts

{"text":[[{"start":9.5,"text":"Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are expected to make up nearly 30 per cent of global car sales this year, the International Energy Agency forecast, as the Middle East energy crisis and lower battery costs boost demand. "}],[{"start":22.25,"text":"The response by drivers to rising fuel prices was expected to propel sales, with a caveat that the impact on the global economy of the Iran war could damp consumer spending, the latest agency report said."}],[{"start":34.95,"text":"Growth was highlighted in Europe, where sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids are expected to rise about 20 per cent in 2026, accounting for one in three cars sold, the IEA estimated."}],[{"start":45.85,"text":"Global sales of electric cars rose 20 per cent year on year to more than 20mn in 2025, accounting for a quarter of all new cars sold worldwide. That figure is expected to reach 23mn this year as sales increase more than 50 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region and 45 per cent in Latin America."}],[{"start":67.4,"text":"“Moving forward, it is quite possible that policymakers will look for the structural opportunities to enhance energy security and shield consumers and economies against the impact of such or similar crisis,” said Timur Gül, the IEA’s chief energy technology officer."}],[{"start":85.10000000000001,"text":"Some countries in south-east Asia were already expanding or extending EV tax incentives, Gül noted: “It’s possible that other countries will follow.”"}],[{"start":94.55000000000001,"text":"While global sales of electric cars were 8 per cent lower in the first quarter, largely as a result of the rollback of rebates in China and the US, sales are expected to recover on the back of an increase in affordable EV models."}],[{"start":107.55000000000001,"text":"In Europe, the share of fully electric car models sold below the average price tag of their petrol equivalents rose above 30 per cent in 2025, compared with about 15 per cent in 2021. Average EV prices in China also fell more than 10 per cent last year. "}],[{"start":126.35000000000001,"text":"The electric shift is also fuelled by surging exports of EVs and plug-in hybrids made in China as BYD and other domestic manufacturers face pressure from a cut-throat price competition in the world’s largest car market. "}],[{"start":139.8,"text":"China accounted for nearly three-quarters of the electric cars produced globally in 2025, while exports of Chinese electric cars doubled to a new record high."}],[{"start":151.10000000000002,"text":"Driven by those exports, the market share of electric cars in south-east Asia is expected to increase to 60 per cent by 2035, compared with nearly 20 per cent last year. "}],[{"start":163.20000000000002,"text":"Despite the upside potential for the electric transition, the IEA also cautioned that it would take time to assess the full implications of the current energy crisis. “The wider economic impacts of the conflict in the Middle East might temper overall car sales,” it noted."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":187.25000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779265200_1971.mp3"}