In February 2026, 1.1 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide. This is less than in January and during the same period last year. It is noteworthy that the gap between regions of the world is widening, influenced by the domestic policies of individual countries. While the Trump administration in the U.S. is deliberately cutting subsidies for electric vehicles, a reversal of this policy in South Korea has led to a threefold growth in the market.
This is reported by Electrek.
Sales in Europe are gaining momentum
Since the beginning of the year, the European electric vehicle market has grown by 21%. France and Germany are leading the growth.
The reason for the sales increase is government support programs. Thanks to this, German drivers have purchased 26% more electric vehicles since the beginning of the year, and French drivers—30%.
In October 2025, Italy also launched its subsidy program. It is funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund. As a result, the Italian electric vehicle market has grown by a staggering 98% since the start of the year.
Difficulties in North America
Although sales on the continent rose by 8% during the month, the overall year-end decline remains dramatic at 36%.
The downward trend is largely driven by the United States. Here, manufacturers report a sharp drop in sales. For example, Ford's electric vehicles sold 70% fewer units, and Honda's EVs plummeted by as much as 81%. This affects the entire supply chain. For instance, battery manufacturer SK On recently had to lay off 37% of its workforce at its Georgia plant.
In Canada, the electric vehicle market fell by 23% since the beginning of the year. The government aims to reverse this trend by stimulating imports of Chinese cars, lowering customs tariffs to 6.1%.
New tax crashes sales in China
For the first time since 2014, China reinstated the vehicle purchase tax for electric vehicles. As a result, and due to the celebration of the Chinese New Year, monthly sales fell by 32%.
Nevertheless, the country is intensively working on exports. In just the first two months, Chinese automakers shipped over half a million electric vehicles abroad-this figure is more than double the number recorded last year for the same period.
The rest of the world surges ahead
Outside the main markets, electric vehicle sales increased by 78%.
For example, in South Korea, 37,200 cars were purchased in a single month-more than three times the volume of the previous month. The reason is government subsidies opened for 2026. Overall, electric vehicles now make up 30% of the country's auto market.
“The European electric vehicle market is accelerating thanks to the return of subsidies and political support, whereas North America is moving in the opposite direction as the Trump administration is deliberately working to undermine its own electric vehicle market by cancelling subsidies and political backing,” Electrek noted.
In Ukraine, by contrast, the electric vehicle market collapsed sharply. As previously reported by EcoPolitic, in January sales fell 14 times compared to December, and in February imports dropped by another 85%. This collapse was caused by the government’s decision to reinstate duties on vehicle imports.
