Chinese battery makers CATL and BYD held onto their positions as the top two global electric vehicle (EV) battery suppliers in the January–May 2025 period, according to new data released by South Korea’s SNE Research.
Global EV battery consumption rose 38.5% to 401.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the first five months of 2025, up from 289.8 GWh a year earlier, driven by rising EV adoption and robust production figures in major markets.
CATL maintained its leadership position with 152.7 GWh of EV battery installations during the period, representing a 40.6% increase year-on-year. The company captured 38.1% of the global market, making it the only manufacturer with a market share above 30%. This figure marks a slight increase from the 37.5% it held in the same period last year.
BYD followed in second place with 70.0 GWh in battery installations, up 57.1% from 44.5 GWh a year ago. Its market share rose to 17.4%, compared to 15.4% in the January–May 2024 period. “BYD continues to expand its battery and vehicle operations, reinforcing its presence both domestically and in export markets,” said SNE Research in its report.
South Korea’s LG Energy Solution retained third place with 39.9 GWh of installations, a 14.3% increase year-on-year. However, its market share fell to 10.0% from 12.1% in the same period last year, reflecting more intense competition from Chinese rivals.
Among other manufacturers, China’s CALB rose to fourth place with a 4.2% market share, narrowly overtaking South Korea’s SK On, which slipped to fifth with a 4.2% share, down from 4.3% in January–April.
China’s Gotion High-tech, South Korea’s Samsung SDI, Japan’s Panasonic, China’s Eve Energy, and Svolt Energy rounded out the top ten battery makers. Their respective market shares for the January–May period were 3.4%, 3.3%, 2.9%, 2.7%, and 2.6%.