Global EV Registrations Rise 3% to 1.8 Million in May as Europe Jumps 23%

Q: With Chinese EVs surging in Europe, is the West losing the global electric vehicle race before it has truly begun?

Not yet, but China has a clear lead in the parts of the EV race that matter most: scale, cost, batteries and speed of expansion. The latest data shows a split West. Europe is growing fast, with May EV registrations up 23% to about 415,000, helped by subsidies and high fuel prices. That means demand is real and policy can still move markets. But a growing share of that demand is being captured by Chinese brands, which are using excess capacity at home to expand abroad through exports, joint ventures and local production plans. China still registered nearly 987,000 EVs in May despite a 9% drop, and it remains the world’s largest EV market and manufacturing base. The bigger warning sign is North America. Registrations fell 26% in May to roughly 123,000 after the end of the U.S. federal EV tax credit and a broader shift by automakers toward hybrids and combustion models. That is not just a sales dip; it risks slowing investment, model rollouts and charging buildout at the same time China is scaling globally. Still, “losing” overstates it. Europe remains a major EV market, Western carmakers still have strong brands, and new models with better range and charging are arriving. The race is not over. But China has already built a structural advantage in batteries, supply chains and manufacturing know-how, and the West—especially the U.S.—is now playing catch-up rather than setting the pace.

3 articles · Updated · CBT Automotive News · Jun 16

About 1.8 million battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were registered worldwide in May, up 3% from a year earlier and extending growth to a third straight month.
Europe drove the increase with registrations up 23% to roughly 415,000, helped by government subsidies and high fuel prices.
China, still the largest market, fell 9% to about 987,000 after trade-in support was withdrawn and an EV purchase tax break expired earlier this year.
North America posted the steepest drop, down 26% to around 123,000, as the U.S. federal EV tax credit ended and policy shifted toward combustion-engine and hybrid production.
Through the first five months of 2026, global EV registrations were up 0.9% from a year earlier, underscoring uneven demand shaped increasingly by regional policy.