Global demand for electric vehicles continued to grow in April, marking a second consecutive month of year-on-year gains as elevated petrol prices and government incentives encouraged more consumers to shift away from traditional combustion-engine vehicles.
According to data released on Wednesday by consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, registrations of new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) rose 6% compared with the same period last year, reaching approximately 1.6 million units worldwide. Vehicle registrations are widely used as a key indicator of actual sales activity in the global auto market.
Despite the annual increase, April demand softened from the previous month, with registrations falling 9% from March’s record-breaking monthly high. Analysts said the decline reflected a normalization in demand after unusually strong first-quarter sales in several major markets.
In comments carried by Reuters, BMI said the global EV market continued to benefit from a combination of supportive policy measures, persistently high fuel costs and the growing influence of Chinese automakers expanding into overseas markets. The consultancy noted that Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly strengthening their global presence through competitively priced electric models and aggressive international expansion strategies.
Europe remained one of the strongest-performing regions for EV adoption. Registrations across the continent surged 27% year-on-year in April to around 400,000 vehicles, reflecting continued consumer demand and large-scale public investment in clean transportation. Countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland have collectively committed close to €200 billion (US$235 billion) toward developing their electric-vehicle ecosystem, including charging infrastructure, battery production and manufacturing incentives, according to a recent industry study.
The global market, however, showed significant regional differences. In China — the world’s largest EV market — registrations declined 8% from a year earlier to roughly 850,000 units in April. The slowdown followed the expiration of tax incentives for electric-vehicle purchases and the withdrawal of support measures tied to automobile trade-in programs, both of which had previously boosted demand.
Meanwhile, United States and the broader North American market experienced a sharper decline. Registrations in the region fell 28% year-on-year to approximately 120,000 units after the expiration of a federal tax-credit program supporting EV purchases. Market sentiment was also affected by proposals from the administration of Donald Trump to ease carbon-emissions regulations for automakers, potentially reducing pressure on manufacturers to accelerate electric-vehicle production.
Within North America, however, performance varied by country. Mexico emerged as a standout market, with EV sales rising nearly 50% so far this year as affordability and new model availability improved. In contrast, Canada recorded a 7% decline in registrations, though analysts expect sales to recover following the introduction of a new government incentive program aimed at encouraging electric-vehicle adoption.
