Tracking Global Data on Electric Vehicles
Explore data on electric car sales and stocks worldwide.
Electric Vehicles and Decarbonizing Transport
Electric vehicles are an important solution to decarbonizing transport. They tend to have a lower carbon footprint than petrol or diesel cars over their lifetimes. While more carbon is emitted in the manufacturing stage, this “carbon debt” tends to pay off quickly once they’re on the road. The carbon savings are higher in countries with a cleaner electricity mix, and these savings will also increase as countries continue to decarbonize their electricity grids.
Sales of New Cars
Sales of electric cars started from a low base but are growing quickly in many markets. Globally, around 1-in-5 new cars sold was electric in 2022. In Norway, the share was well over 4-in-5, and in China, it was around 1-in-3. "Electric cars" include fully battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
Fully battery-electric cars do not have an internal combustion engine, whereas plug-in hybrids have a rechargeable battery and electric motor along with an internal combustion engine that runs on gasoline. Plug-in hybrids emit more carbon than battery-electric cars because they often run on petrol, but they still have lower emissions than petrol or diesel cars.
Number of New Electric Cars Sold Each Year
The chart below shows the total number of new electric cars sold each year, including both fully battery-electric and plug-in hybrids. The data is captured from the International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook. Clicking on any country will show how sales have changed over time. It is worth noting that global sales of non-electric cars peaked in 2018, according to data published by the IEA.
The figures suggest that the transition to electric cars is gaining momentum, and the number of new internal combustion engine cars sold is decreasing.
Stocks of Cars in Use
The share of electric cars on the road is much lower than the share for new sales because it takes time before new sales have a visible influence on car stocks. However, the number of electric cars on the road is increasing. Currently, there are over 25 million electric cars in use globally, and this number is growing quickly. The chart below visualizes the stocks of cars in use and the share of electric cars among them.
