EVs accounted for around one in four new cars sold worldwide in 2025, after sales rose 20% to more than 20 million units, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The agency expects the number to climb again in 2026, with electric car sales forecast to reach about 23 million units, or 28% of total new-car sales.
China led the market with more than 13 million EVs sold in 2025, giving it a dominant share of global demand. Europe was the second-biggest EV market, with 4.2 million units sold and a 28% share of new-car sales.
The US remained behind both, at around 1.5 million units.
The gap between China, Europe and the US remained wide.
China is moving fastest, Europe is still pushing ahead despite uneven policy support, while the US market remains more exposed to political shifts and slower charging-network rollout.
For Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the figures point to a regional EV market increasingly shaped by China’s scale, pricing and export push.
With EV demand now well beyond early adopters in China and parts of Europe, that volume will influence the cars, prices and battery technology reaching this region.
