Electric car use by country varies worldwide, as the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles is affected by consumer demand, market prices, availability of charging infrastructure, and government policies, such as purchase incentives and long term regulatory signals (ZEV mandates, CO2 emissions regulations, fuel economy standards, and phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles). Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are generally divided into all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which run only on batteries, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which combine battery power with internal combustion engines. The popularity of electric vehicles has been expanding rapidly due to government subsidies, improving charging infrastructure, their increasing range, lower battery costs, and environmental sensitivity.However, by 2025, electric cars represented about 5% of the global car stock. Electric car sales exceeded 20 million in 2025, up 20% from 2024, and accounted for 25% of global car sales."Trends in electric cars – Global EV Outlook 2026". International Energy Agency. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Global cumulative sales of highway-legal light-duty plug-in electric vehicles reached 1 million units in September 2015, 5 million in December 2018, and passed the 10 million milestone in 2020. By mid-2022, there were over 20 million light-duty plug-in vehicles on the world's roads. Sales of plug-in passenger cars achieved a 9% global market share of new car sales in 2021, up from 4.6% in 2020, and 2.5% in 2019. The PEV market has been shifting towards fully electric battery vehicles. The global ratio between BEVs and PHEVs went from 56:44 in 2012, to 60:40 in 2015, and rose to 74:26 in 2019. The ratio was 71:29 in 2021. As of December 2023, China had the largest stock of highway legal plug-in passenger cars with 20.4 million units, almost half of the global fleet in use. China also dominates the plug-in light commercial vehicle and electric bus deployment, with its stock reaching over 500,000 buses in 2019, 98% of the global stock, and 247,500 electric light commercial vehicles, 65% of the global fleet. Europe had about 11.8 million plug-in passenger cars at the end of 2023, accounting for around 30% of the global stock. Europe also has the world's second-largest stock of electric light commercial vehicles, with about 290,000 vans. As of June 2025, cumulative sales in the United States totaled 7.04 million plug-in cars since 2010, with California listed as the largest U.S. plug-in regional market with 1.77 million plug-in cars sold by 2023. As of December 2021, Germany is the leading European country with 1.38 million plug-in cars registered since 2010. Norway has the highest market penetration per capita in the world, and also has the world's largest plug-in segment market share of new car sales, 86.2% in 2021. Over 10% of all passenger cars on Norwegian roads were plug-ins in October 2018, and rose to 22% in 2021. The Netherlands had the highest density of EV charging stations in the world by 2019.
History
The global stock of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) between 2005 and 2009 consisted exclusively of all-electric cars (BEV), totaling about 1,700 units in 2005, and almost 6,000 in 2009. The plug-in stock rose to about 12,500 units in 2010, of which 350 were plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). By comparison, during the Golden Age of the electric car at the beginning of the 20th century, the EV stock peaked at approximately 30,000 vehicles. After the introduction of the Think City, Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt in late December 2010, the first mass-production plug-in electric cars by major manufacturers, plug-in sales grew to about 50,000 units in 2011, to 125,000 in 2012, and almost 213,000 cars and utility vans in 2013. Sales totaled over 315,000 units in 2014, up 48% from 2013. In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over 1 in every 100 passenger cars on the roads was a plug-in, and, by October 2018, 1 in every 10 passenger cars registered in Norway was a plug-in. In five years, global sales of highway legal light-duty plug-in vehicles increased more than ten-fold, totaling more than 565,000 units in 2015—an 80% increase from 2014, driven mainly by China and Europe. About 775,000 plug-in electric cars and vans were sold in 2016, and 1.22 million in 2017—up 57% from 2016—with China accounting for about half of global sales. The global market share of the new light-duty plug-in segment reached 1.3% in 2017, up from 0.86% in 2016, and 0.38% in 2014. Global light-duty plug-in vehicle sales passed the 3 million milestone in November 2017 and 5 million at the end 2018. Global sales totaled 2,018,247 plug-in passenger cars in 2018, up 72% from 2017, with a market share of 2.1%. The BEV:PHEV ratio rose to 69:31 in 2018 and to 74:26 in 2019. By the end of 2019 the stock of light-duty plug-in vehicles totaled about 7.5 million units. Worldwide sales in 2019 rose to 2,209,831 units with a global market share of 2.5%. The combined number of PEV and hybrid cars sold in the European Union hit a record in July 2020, accounting for 18% of the total number of passenger cars sold. It also was the first time that more than 200,000 electric cars were sold in a single month.
Statistics
Market share
Sales, market, and usage share
Notes
Albania Albania is considered one of the best countries for electric-car emissions, as it generates all of its electricity from hydroelectric power. Electric cars are currently used by the Albanian Police Force. The Interior Minister claimed, that the cost of fuel per 100 km (62 mi) would be less than 120 Albanian leke (less than 1 euro). Saytaxi is the first taxi company in Albania that offers electric vehicles and operates a fast EV (electric vehicles) charging point, and has been operating in the country since 2014. Its goal is to replace 80% of all non-electric taxis with electric ones. On 31 October 2017, Tirana became one of the few European capital cities to use electric buses when they tested a Solaris Urbino 12, to reduce pollution. Tirana's goal is to gradually convert 10 to 20 percent of the bus fleet into electric ones.
Australia
The total stock of electric vehicles in Australia is approximately 21,000 as of 2020. In May 2021, electric vehicles accounted for 2% of new car sales in Australia, with approximately 5,000 Tesla vehicles sold in the first half of 2021. However, it has been predicted that approximately 66% of Australians will be driving electric cars by 2030. Moreover, 56% of Australians would consider an electric car when they next bought a vehicle. In early 2020, electric vehicle registrations nearly doubled the registrations of the previous year, showing the rapidly increasing popularity of electric vehicles in Australia. The Tesla Model 3 is Australia's most popular electric vehicle, accounting for 70% of EV sales in 2019. The Labor-led opposition government in Australia in 2019 proposed a 50% electric vehicle target by 2030. Government analysis in 2019 also forecasted 50% of all new cars sold in Australia by 2035 will be electric on the current path. The state of Victoria is Australia's most important electric vehicle market, with the highest number of electric vehicle purchases between 2011 and 2017, totaling 1,324 car sales. Victoria also manufactures electric vehicles with a commercial electric vehicle manufacturing facility to be established in 2021, producing 2,400 vehicles per year. In March 2021, the Hyundai Nexo became the first fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) to be released in Australia. Coinciding with the release of the Nexo, the first publicly available hydrogen refuelling station in Australia opened the same day in Canberra.
Government incentives Despite no federal EV sales target, Victoria aim for 50% of new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. The South Australian government also aim for 100% of new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2035. The NSW Government is also considering an official ban date for the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles. Nationally, fuel-efficient vehicles attract less Luxury Car Tax, resulting in savings of up to $2,648. Victoria offers a subsidy of $3,000 – $5,000 for BEV cars under $68,740. ACT offers $15,000 interest free loan Victorian EV drivers pay a reduced rate of stamp duty and $100 off registration fees In ACT BEVs stamp duty exempt and 20% reduction in registration fees with the first 2 years of registration free EVs exempt from stamp duty until 2023 In Tasmania Car rental companies are exempt from registration fees on new and used EVs The Federal Government pledged to spend $74.5 million on charging infrastructure in the 2021 budget. The Federal Government is also contributing $15 million to a national electric vehicle charging network built by Evie Networks and connecting Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Austria
Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 1677 in 2015 to 6764 in 2018. In the first half of 2019, 4913 new BEVs were sold, representing 2.8% of the overall sales.
Belgium
Sales of electric cars rose from 97 units in 2009 to 116 in 2010, 425 in 2011, and 900 in 2012. Of the latter, only 350 units were sold to individuals. Then, sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 1358 in 2015 to 3647 in 2018. In the first half of 2019, 4601 new BEVs were sold, representing 1.5% of the overall sales.
The Belgian government established purchase incentives for BEVs, ending in 2012. Hybrids were not eligible. A separate subsidy supported investments in public charging stations.
Brazil
As of September 2015, 2,214 hybrid and electric vehicles were registered in the state of São Paulo In March 2013, the first two Leafs were deployed in Rio de Janeiro to operate as taxis. In September 2014 the BMW i3 became the first EV available for retail customers. As of June 2016, other retail plug-ins were the BMW i8 and the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV. Plug-ins and hybrids are subject to taxes totaling more than 120% of the retail price. In May 2014, São Paulo City passed a municipal law to exempt EVs, hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles from the city's driving restriction scheme (see also road space rationing#São Paulo) and purchase incentives. In April 2018, the city of São José dos Campos ordered 30 electric BYD vehicles for use by the police and government. In March 2019, Renault released the Zoe in Brazil, and, in April 2019, Jac released the E40 as the cheapest electric car in Brazil, at R$129.990, Nissan announced the Leaf to be released in Brazil in the first half of 2019
Bulgaria There were 560 electric motorbikes and 520 electric cars officially registered in Bulgaria by the end of March 2018. By early 2020, the total number of electric cars in Bulgaria is estimated to be at least 1100. Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 21 in 2015 to 194 in 2018, with only 6 in 2016. In the first half of 2019, 141 new BEVs were sold, representing 0.7% of the overall sales.
The government does not provide grants for buying electric cars, but at least it does not apply road tax to them. Parking electric vehicles in central urban parking zones is also free of charge. In 2012, 'green taxi' hybrid cabs went into service in Sofia. In 2017, test electric buses joined the public transport fleet of Sofia and in 2018 and 2019, 35 new electric buses went into service. It is estimated that by 2021, 20% of the bus fleet of Sofia will be electric. Other cities and towns such as Plovdiv, Pernik and Haskovo are also ordering electric buses. The first car sharing company in Bulgaria, Spark.bg, uses only electric cars. As of August 2020, it has a fleet of around 500 electric vehicles and over 200 available charging stations in Sofia. Courier company Speedy uses 20 electric Renault Kangoo.
Canada
The stock of plug-in electric passenger cars in Canada in use totaled 901,545 units as of April 2025, consisting of 644,679 all-electric cars and 256,866 plug-in hybrids. This represents 3.4% of all light-duty vehicles in Canada. Sales had a 15.3% market share in 2024 (11.4% for all-electric cars and 3.9% for plug-in hybrids), but are expected to decrease in 2025. Purchase and other incentives for new EVs are offered by the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia. In October 2016, Quebec passed legislation that obliges major carmakers to offer an increasing number of PHEV and BEV models, beginning with 3.5% in 2018 and rising to 15.5% in 2020, using a tradable credit system.
China
As of December 2023, China had the world's largest stock of highway legal plug-in passenger cars with 20.41 million units, corresponding to almost half of the global plug-in car fleet in use. Of these, all-electric cars accounted for 76% of the all-new energy passenger cars in circulation. The plug-in car segment achieved a record 37% market share in 2023, of which, the all-electrics had an uptake of 25%. Plug-in passenger cars represented 6% of all cars on Chinese roads at the end of 2023. Domestically produced cars dominate new energy car sales in Mainland China, accounting for about 96% of sales in 2017. Another particular feature of the Chinese passenger plug-in market is the dominance of small entry level vehicles. As of 2019, China also dominated the plug-in light commercial vehicle and electric bus deployment, with its stock reaching over 500,000 buses in 2019, 98% of the global stock, and 247,500 electric light commercial vehicles, 65% of the global fleet. In addition, the country leads in sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks, with over 12,000 sold and nearly all battery electric. Since 2011, cumulative sales of all classes of new energy vehicles (NEV) totaled 7.4 million at the end of September 2021.
Chile
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV was the first EV in Chile. The first public quick charging station was opened in April 2011. In August 2014 Mitsubishi replaced the i-Miev with the Outlander PHEV. Later that year BMW introduced their "i" range with the i3; Renault launched their Zero Emission (Z.E.) lineup, including the Fluence Z.E. sedan, the Kangoo utility van and Zoe city car. The French brand sold 22 electric vehicles in its first month in the Chilean market.
Colombia
Latin America's first battery electric taxi fleet of 45 vehicles was launched at the beginning of 2013 in Bogotá, the largest electric taxi fleet in South America at the time. These taxis were exempted from the Pico y placa driving restriction scheme. The program is an effort to improve air quality and set an example. The BMW i3 was introduced in Colombia in 2014. The BEV Renault Twizy quadricycle was introduced in the Colombian market in June 2015 and, as of October 2015, 203 Twizys had been sold. Sales of the Outlander P-HEV were scheduled to begin in September 2015. Sales of other electric vehicles totaled, as of June 2015, 35 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs (purchased by an electricity company), 25 BMW i3s, 19 Renault Kangoos (corporate purchases), and 4 Nissan Leafs (corporate purchases). In 2013, the government established incentives to promote EV adoption. These include the exemption from the driving restriction scheme in place in Colombian cities such as Bogotá and Medellín. The government exempted BEV and PHEV cars from import duties for three years, with an annual quota of 750 cars of each type.
Costa Rica
As of December 2023, Costa Rica had a stock of 9,345 light-duty all-electric vehicles. In addition, the country had a stock of 1,243 all-electric motorcycles. Registrations of light-duty all-electric vehicles totaled 6,312 units in 2023, more than doubling cumulative sales since 2010. The all-electric market share achieved a record 11.6% of all new car sales in 2023, up from 7.3% in 2022, and ranking as the highest in the Americas. The fleet of fully electric passenger cars grew from 94 units in 2010 to 183 in 2017. After the approval of the 2018 law granting import duty and value-added tax exemptions, the fleet grew from 377 units in 2018 to 1,446 in 2020, and reached 8,963 all-electric cars registered by the end of 2023. Plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrid electric vehicles do not have government financial incentives, and they are not included in this statistical data. The first electric car to go on sale in the country was the REVAi, introduced in March 2009. The REVAi, powered by lead–acid batteries, sold 10 units. The Mitsubishi i MiEV was launched in February 2011, with initial availability limited to 25 to 50 units. According to Mitsubishi, Costa Rica was selected at the first market launch in the Americas due to its environmental record, despite the lack of government incentives for purchasing electric cars. The top selling model in 2016 was the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV with 60 units. Other all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars introduced early in Costa Rica include the BYD Qin (November 2013), Mitsubishi Outlander (March 2015) and BMW i3 (September 2016). As of January 2024, over 50 all-electric models are offered in the Costa Rican market, mainly from Chinese and European carmakers.
Government incentives
In 2006, electric cars were exempted from the consumption tax, while conventional vehicles faced a 30% rate. In October 2012, electric cars were exempted from San José's driving restrictions. EVs were exempted from import duties and the government agreed to deploy charging stations in strategic locations in San José. In January 2018, the "Law for the Promotion of Electric Transportation" took effect, offering incentives and tax exemptions for the purchase of all-electric cars. The law grants exemption from three taxes: value added, selective consumption, and import duties, 100% for electric vehicles priced at US$30,000 CIF, and the exempted percentage is reduced gradually as the value goes up, with a cap of US$60,000. Electric vehicles are also exempt from the annual circulation fee, which phases out by 20% each year during a five-year period. The price cap was removed in 202. Each tax exemption gradually decreases over 12 years until it is phased out.
Croatia As of December 2016, 2067 electric cars had been sold in Croatia. Of these, 224 were EVs, while the rest were hybrids. As of September 2017, 201 free public charging stations operated in Croatia. In 2014 and 2015, the Croatian government initiated purchase incentives. The subsidies were discontinued in 2016, due to ineffectiveness.
Czech Republic
Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 298 in 2015 to 703 in 2018. In the first half of 2019, 360 new BEVs were sold, representing 0.3% of overall sales.
Denmark
In the late 1980s to early 1990s, a few thousand of the small, one-person and locally produced Ellert were sold in Denmark, but relatively few remain today. In the following decade, very few electric cars were sold in Denmark, but a clear increase began around 2010. In 2015, Denmark was the second largest European market for light-duty, plug-in commercial vehicles or utility vans, with over 2,600 plug-in vans sold that year, representing 8.5% of all vans sold. Most vans were plug-in hybrids, accounting for almost all EU plug-in van sales. Up to and including 2015, electric cars had been exempt from vehicle registration tax. Still, it was decided that this would be gradually outphased: In 2016, the vehicle registration tax for electric cars was set at 20% of the normal rate; in 2017, it was planned to increase to 40%; and within five years, it would become the full rate. This had a large effect on sales, which fell sharply in 2016–17. As a consequence, it was decided that the increase in vehicle registration tax for electric vehicles would be delayed, being capped at 20% of the normal rate in 2017–19, then gradually increasing until 2023 where it would become the full rate. A new fund for fuel cell vehicles was also established. In 2020, a new taxation deal was reached, valid for all cars from 2021 to 2030. Its rates depend heavily on the car's CO2 emissions. This means that vehicle registration tax for all-electric cars (BEVs) that cost less than 510,000 DKK (€68,500) will remain very low with a slower than initially planned gradual increase to normal levels, most plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) will increase from 2021 but remain lower than gasoline and diesel cars, and diesel cars will increase. The goal of this plan is to have at least 775,000 electric cars (BEV or PHEV) by 2030. With other plans, the goal is to have at least 1 million zero-emission or low-emission cars by 2030, and to have no new gasoline or diesel cars sold in the country from that year. As of 31 December 2021, there were a total of 2,781,855 registered cars in Denmark, of which more than 5%, or 144,498, are electric (BEV or PHEV).
Estonia
As of February 2015, 1,188 plug-in vehicles were registered. Estonia was the first country to deploy an EV charging network with nationwide coverage, with fast chargers available along highways at a maximum distance of 40 to 60 km (25 to 37 mi). As of December 2012, the nationwide network consisted of 165 fast chargers. In 2011, the government confirmed the sale of 10 million carbon dioxide credits to Mitsubishi in exchange for 507 i-MiEV electric cars. The deal included funding 250 fast charging stations and subsidies for the first 500 private buyers of any electric approved by the EU. The first 50 i-MiEVs were delivered in October 2011, for use by municipal social workers. Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 34 in 2015 to 85 in 2018, after a stagnation in 2016 and 2017. In the first half of 2019, 42 new BEVs were sold, representing 0.2% of overall sales.
Estonia's figures are low compared to other advanced economies, attributed to lack of government incentives after the carbon credit scheme was exhausted.
Ecuador The offer and demand for electric vehicles in the South American nation has decreased. Electric charging stations are present in several shopping malls and public parking in Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Ambato, and Loja. In Ecuador, all electric vehicles are exempt from customs duties and taxes starting in June 2019. The electric vehicle offer in the country is set to increase. The Ecuadorean government has been incentivizing the use of electric vehicles with tax cuts. However, both the offer and demand remained short, encouraging the government to eliminate all duties on electric vehicles. The first commercially available EV was the Kia Soul EV in 2016. At the moment, the brand with the most EV presence in Ecuador is. As of 2021, Kia, BYD, and Nissan are among the EV brands offering vehicles for the Ecuadorian market.
Europe overview
Europe had about 5.6 million plug-in electric passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in circulation at the end of 2021. As of December 2019, Europe accounted for 25% of the global stock, the second largest after China. Europe also had the world's second-largest electric light commercial vehicle stock after China, with about 220,000 vans. The 27 Member States of the European Union had 2.24 million plug-in vehicles on the road in 2020, of which plug-in passenger cars represented 94.3%, followed by light commercial vehicles (5.4%), and buses and trucks accounted for 0.3% and 0.03% respectively. In 2020, despite the strong decline in global car sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, annual sales of plug-in passenger cars in Europe surpassed the 1 million mark for the first time. In addition, Europe outsold China in 2020 as the world's largest plug-in passenger car market for the first time since 2015. Despite the continued global decline in car sales in 2021 due to the shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global computer chip shortage, plug-in car sales rose to 2.27 million, up 66% from 2020. The plug-in car segment had a market share of 1.3% of new car registrations in 2016, rose to 3.6% in 2019, climbed to 11.4% in 2020, and achieved 29.1% in 2025. As of December 2021, Germany has the largest stock of plug-ins in Europe, with cumulative sales of 1.38 million plug-in cars registered since 2010, followed by France (786,274), the UK (≈745,000), Norway (647,000), and the Netherlands (360,000). Germany listed as the top selling European country market since 2019.
Finland
As of October 2016, about 2,250 EVs were registered. Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 243 in 2015 to 776 in 2018. In the first half of 2019, 995 new BEVs were sold, representing 1.7% of the overall sales.
In November 2016, the government set the goal of 250,000 plug-in cars and 50,000 biogas cars on the road by 2030. These goals are part of the Finnish government efforts to comply with the 2015 Paris Agreement. Basic charging infrastructure is available throughout Finland for winter engine pre-warming. Because of its climate – cold winters and warm summers – Finland is considered a convenient "test laboratory" for electric cars. Many companies in Finland are involved in next-generation vehicle manufacturing, including Valmet Automotive, Fortum (concept cars and infrastructure), Vacon (electric motor technology production), Ensto (production of charging units), Elcat (electric vehicle production since the 1980s), Raceabout (specialist electric sport car with very few sales). Research related to electric cars is in progress at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Tekes. Electric car organizations in Finland include the Electric Vehicle Association of Finland and Electric Vehicles Finland. A non-commercial electric car conversion organization is called Electric Cars – Now! that converts Toyota Corollas into Li-ion battery-powered electric cars.
France
As of December 2021, a total of 786,274 light-duty plug-in electric vehicles have been registered in France since 2010, consisting of 512,178 all-electric passenger cars and commercial vans, and 274,096 plug-in hybrids. Of these, around 60,000 were fully electric light commercial vehicles.
A record 315,978 light-duty plug-in vehicles were registered in 2021, up 62% from 2020, and the light-duty segment's market share rose to 15.1%. The plug-in electric passenger car segment achieved a market share of 18.3% in 2021.
Germany
The stock of plug-in electric vehicles in Germany is the largest in Europe; there were 1,184,416 plug-in cars in circulation on 1 January 2022, representing 2.5% of all passenger cars on German roads, up from 1.2% the previous year. As of December 2021, cumulative sales totaled 1.38 million plug-in passenger cars since 2010. Germany had a stock of 21,890 light-duty electric commercial vehicles in 2019, the second largest in Europe after France. As of March 2020, the country had 27,730 public charging stations. Germany was the top-selling plug-in car market in Europe in 2019, with a market share of 3.10%. Despite the global decline in car sales brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the segment market share achieved a record 13.6% in 2020. with a record volume of 394,632 plug-in passenger cars registered in 2020, up 263% from 2019, Germany was listed for a second year running as the best-selling European plug-in market. Both years, the German market led both the fully electric and plug-in hybrid segments. The only country that outsold Germany in 2020 was China. Sales in 2021 surged to 681,410 rechargeable units, capturing a record market share of 26.0%.
Under its National Platform for Electric Mobility, Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2010 set the goal of putting one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020. Initially, the government did not provide subsidies in favor of research. The Bundestag passed the Electric Mobility Act in March 2015 that authorized local government to grant non-monetary incentives. The measures privilege battery-powered cars, fuel cell vehicles, and some PHEVs by granting local governments the authority to offer additional incentives. An incentive scheme was approved in April 2016, including purchase subsidies, charging stations, and other federal government fleet purchases, with a target of 400,000 electric vehicles. Premium cars, such as the Tesla Model S and BMW i8, were not eligible. To meet the climate targets for the transport sector, in 2016 the government set the goal to have from 7 to 10 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2030, and 1 million charging points available in Germany also by 2030. As a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government approved an economic recovery plan in June 2020 that included €8 billion to promote electric vehicle adoption and the deployment of charging infrastructure. The purchase bonus for electric cars was raised from €6,000 to €9,000 up until the end of 2021, the highest economic incentive in any European countr. Still, the subsidy is available only for cars costing less than €40,000. Also, other tax incentives for electric vehicles were introduced since 2020. Later, the government decided to keep the €9,000 bonus for the purchase of new all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids until the end of 2025. The original one million goal was achieved in July 2021.
Greece
Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 35 in 2015 to 190 in 2019. In the first three-quarters of 2020, 292 new BEVs and 590 new PHEVs were sold.
In June 2020, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the government's plan to support the adoption of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) by individuals and corporations, with the aim for one-in-three new vehicles in Greece to be electric by 2030. The plan includes purchase subsidizing, exemption from the road tax and any parking fees, as well as incentives for setting up charging stations, for pure electric private passenger cars and motorbikes, as well as for pure electric or plug-in hybrid taxis and light commercial vehicles. The government's subsidy covers the purchase of new BEVs and PHEVs, with a total of 100 million euros for 18 months in the first phase, estimated to cover about 25% of the cost of about 14,000 new electric vehicles. The government will subsidize the purchase of each new electric vehicle, covering 15% of its cost (up to €5.500) for private passenger and light commercial vehicles, 20% of the cost (up to €800) for motorbikes, and 25% of the cost (up to €8.000) for taxis. Vehicle owners who will concurrently retire their old vehicle will receive an additional bonus of up to €2.500. Furthermore, expenses for charging the electric car will be exempt from taxable income. The benefit for each new electric car, if combined with the ecological bonus and the relevant tax exemptions, will approach 10.000 euros.
Hong Kong
As of June 2023 the total is 60,943 EVs. As of now, 240 EV models from 16 economies have been type-approved by the Transport Department. These include 187 models for private cars and motorcycles and 53 models for public transport and commercial vehicles.
As of December 2017, 10,666 plug-in vehicles were registered in Hong Kong. March 2017 saw 2,964 EVs registered in one month before the first registration tax exemption was repealed. 2,939 of these cars were Tesla Model S and X. As of September 2016, 6,298 plug-in vehicles were on the roads in Hong Kong, up from 3,253 in October 2015. The plug-in segment market share achieved 4.8% of new car sales in Hong Kong in 2015. As of October 2015, more than 1,200 public electric vehicle charging points were available. More than a dozen models were available for retail customers. Sales of electric cars took off in Hong Kongin 2014, with the Tesla Model 4. The tax waiver made the Model S competitive in the luxury car segment, at about half the price of other high-end models. According to Tesla, as of September 2016, Hong Kong had the world's highest density of Tesla superchargers, giving most Model S owners a supercharger within a 20-minute drive. The Government offered purchase incentives to consumers, businesses, and service providers from 2011 to 2017. The Government further allocated HK$180 million for bus companies to purchase 36 electric buses.
Hungary
In November 2018, 8,482 PEVs were registered in Hungary. The Hungarian government introduced its e-mobility plan in March 2014. The Jedlik plan supported the domestic production of electric vehicles, expanding the necessary infrastructure and promoting the purchase of EVs with public incentives, including 1.5 million HUF, initiated at the end of 2016. Sales of new passenger cars categorized as battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 115 in 2015 to 4837 in 2020.
Iceland
The plug-in car segment in Iceland reached 5.37% of all new vehicles registered in 2016, placing the country second in Europe after Norway that year. Registrations of new plug-in electric cars totaled 2,990 units in 2017, up 157% from the previous year. The segment's market share achieved a record 14%, globally, second only to Norway. The top selling plug-ins in 2017 were the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with 884 units and the Nissan Leaf with 524. In 2018, 284 new BEV units were sold and 423 in the first half of 2019, representing 5.8% of the overall new cars sales. The government eliminated VAT (24%) and CO2-based fees (up to 65%) on new car purchases for EVs. As of 2017, Orka Náttúrunnar (ON) was working to complete a network of 50 kW CCS Combo/CHAdeMO stations along the Ring Road. Tesla opened its first supercharger in Reykjavík in December 2019, with 4 more planned around Iceland in 2020. Tesla started deliveries in Iceland on 28 February 2020 and quickly became the number 1 new electric car sold in Iceland. As of March 2020 passenger plug-in market share of total new car sales for the year 2020 has reached 55%.
India
As of March 2022, over 28000 plug-in cars were registered, until Mar 2022 out of a total of 1 million registered electric vehicles (including 2 and 3-wheelers and commercial 4-wheelers). The Indian government has the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme, which provides incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. Indian government has reduced GST rate on EVs from 12% to 5% in the Union Budget 2019 to encourage electric vehicles. The Indian government gives an additional tax benefit of Rs 150,000 on the interest paid on loans taken to buy EVs. The EVs in India are exempted from paying road tax for vehicle registration. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption in India has accelerated significantly in recent years, supported by policy incentives and expanding infrastructure. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), EV retail sales in financial year 2025–26 (FY'26) reached 2.452 million (24.52 lakh) units, reflecting a 24.63% year-on-year growth across all vehicle segments. Charging infrastructure has also expanded rapidly. India ended 2025 with around 29,000 public EV charging stations, and entering 2026, most official estimates place the total in the 29,000–30,000 range. According to the Ministry of Heavy Industries, a total of 29,151 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed across the country under various government initiatives, including FAME schemes. The growth of EVs in India has been supported by initiatives such as the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) batteries, and state-level EV policies. In addition, EV charging has been classified as a de-licensed activity, enabling private sector participation and faster deployment of public charging infrastructure.
Indonesia
The government supported some trial models made by Tucuxi. Conversion of some vehicles to electric drivetrains was introduced during the APEC Meeting in October 2013. In 2019, Hyundai sold officially Hyundai Ioniq. In 2022, local production of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 began. Also, Wuling Motors sold the most affordable electric car in Indonesia, named Wuling Air EV. Electric car sales rose to 43,188 units in 2024, up 153% from 2023.
Ireland
Sales of electric cars in Ireland increased more than four times in 2014 from a low base. Then, sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEV) rose from 466 in 2015 to 1233 in 2018. In the first half of 2019, 1,954 new BEVs were sold, representing 2.4% of overall sales.
The government committed to making 10% of all vehicles by 2020 (a projected 230,000 vehicles). Government officials reached agreements with French car maker Renault and its partner Nissan. As of September 2014, purchase incentives became available. As of the start of 2020, Electric Vehicles (EVs) was as a proportion of all cars for sale in Ireland very small, which could be seen in a snapshot (7 February 2020) of four different car sales websites (Autotrader.ie, Carsireland.ie, Carzone.ie, and Donedeal.ie) which showed that out of circa 38,000 to 70,000 cars listed for sale, only circa 0.7% to 1.1% were EV's, so in real terms only 431–616 EV cars were advertised for sale in the market. This very low level of EVs compared poorly to the circa 25,338 to 46,940 diesel cars shown available for sale on the same date, representing a much larger, circa 64–67% of the market at that time. The Irish Government (to January 2020) had stated an aim to ban the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid new ('non-electric') cars from 2030 (compared to the proposed EU ban by 2040, and the UK's proposed ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035 as announced in the first week of February 2020). However, car dealers were reported in 2020 to consider the Irish Government's target of one million electric and plug-in hybrid cars in use by 2030 as far too ambitious. Still, Government grants of up to €10,000 were also available as of 2020 (The Irish Times, 7 February 2020). It was also reported (The Irish Times, 7 February 2020) in the Irish newspapers in February 2020 that there were at that time about 1,200 electric car (EV) charging points in Ireland, but that this was compared to Norway, the European leader in EV transition, with approximately 12,000 charging stations for circa 300,000 EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). A compromise in terms of transition and non-electric ban implementation around 2030 maybe for acceptance also of Hybrid cars with smaller conventional petrol engines (regardless of whether the vehicles are 'full' or 'mild' hybrids) of for example at/ less than 1.6-liter (1600 cc) capacity, and/ or say less circa 100 g/km CO2 or less in terms of emissions, or a good fuel efficiency rating (L/100 km ) for highway/extra urban and 'combined' journeys.
Israel
Italy
In 2025, the electric vehicle market in Italy expanded significantly, in contrast to a 2.1% contraction in the overall national automotive market. Total registrations for rechargeable vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) reached a combined market share of 12.7% for the year. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) saw the most robust growth, with 94,973 new registrations—a 46% increase over 2024—accounting for 6.2% of total annual sales. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) followed closely with a 6.5% share.
This growth was largely propelled by government support through the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), which issued approximately 55,700 purchase vouchers. These incentives led to a year-end surge, with BEVs reaching a monthly record share of 11.0% in December 2025. This shift also contributed to an 11.7% reduction in average CO2 emissions for new registrations during the final month of the year. Despite these gains, industry bodies such as UNRAE argue that Italy still lags behind the European average in electric mobility. Proponents have called for a "green" overhaul of corporate car taxation, suggesting that a targeted €85 million investment in tax deductibility could stimulate the purchase of an additional 100,000 low-emission vehicles. On the regulat