CATL and BYD maintained their positions as the two largest electric vehicle battery suppliers globally in the first half of 2026, although CATL strengthened its lead while BYD’s market share declined.
Global EV battery installations reached 608.5 GWh during the first six months of the year, an increase of 20% from the same period in 2025, according to data from South Korean market research firm SNE Research.
CATL accounted for 242.7 GWh of installations, up 25.3% year on year. Its global market share increased to 39.9%, compared with 38.2% a year earlier, although it was slightly below the 40.2% share recorded during the January-May period.
BYD, meanwhile, recorded 87.7 GWh of installations, representing growth of only 1.6%. Its global share fell to 14.4% from 17% a year earlier.
Together, the two Chinese battery manufacturers controlled 54.3% of the global EV battery market.
Chinese Suppliers Expand Market Dominance
LG Energy Solution remained the third-largest supplier, with 52.6 GWh of battery installations, up 8.4% year on year.
The South Korean company supplies major automakers including Tesla, Hyundai Motor Group, General Motors and Volkswagen. Its growth was below the overall market rate, however, reducing its share to 8.6% from 9.6%.
CALB ranked fourth after increasing installations by 39.5% to 31.2 GWh. Its market share rose to 5.1% from 4.4%.
Gotion High-Tech followed in fifth place, with installations increasing 43.3% to 28 GWh. Its share reached 4.6%, compared with 3.9% a year earlier.
Panasonic ranked sixth with 22.7 GWh, up 10.2%. The Japanese supplier benefited from Tesla’s sales in North America, but its growth remained below the global average and its share fell to 3.7% from 4.1%.
Eve Energy recorded the strongest growth among the leading Chinese suppliers, with installations surging 51.7% to 20.9 GWh and its market share reaching 3.4%.
SK On was the only supplier among the global top 10 to report a decline in installations. Its volume fell 6.7% to 19 GWh, reducing its share to 3.1% from 4%.
SNE Research attributed the decline to changes in EV sales and production plans by some customers in North America and Europe.
Svolt Energy and Sunwoda completed the top 10, with installations of 15.7 GWh and 14.5 GWh respectively. Their volumes increased 40.9% and 13.7%.
Seven Chinese Companies In Global Top 10
Seven Chinese companies ranked among the 10 largest EV battery suppliers during the first half of 2026.
Combined, they accounted for 72.4% of the global market among the top 10 suppliers, up 1.5 percentage points from a year earlier.
The figures underline the growing influence of Chinese battery manufacturers as demand for electric vehicles expands globally and domestic suppliers increase their presence in overseas markets.
Growth outside China was particularly strong among several smaller Chinese battery producers.
CATL Leads Outside China
EV battery installations outside China totalled 269 GWh in the first half, increasing 26.3% year on year and growing faster than the overall global market.
CATL remained the leading supplier outside China, with installations reaching 90.5 GWh, up 41.7%. Its share of the non-China market increased to 33.6% from 30%.
BYD ranked third in those markets, with installations rising 67.9% to 28.2 GWh. Its share increased to 10.5% from 7.9%.
Other Chinese battery makers recorded even faster overseas growth.
Gotion High-Tech’s installations outside China rose 141.5% to 9.9 GWh, while Svolt increased 106% to 8.4 GWh. CALB reached 6.3 GWh, up 80.5%, and Eve Energy’s installations climbed 171.5% to 5.1 GWh.
The figures point to an increasingly international expansion strategy among Chinese battery companies, with several suppliers growing substantially faster overseas than the overall market.
Samsung SDI Faces Sharp Overseas Decline
Samsung SDI recorded the largest decline among the top 10 suppliers in markets outside China.
Its non-China installations dropped 29% year on year to 10.5 GWh, while its market share fell to 3.9% from 7%.
SNE Research said Samsung SDI continued to supply BMW, Audi and Rivian, but weaker Rivian sales and softer demand for older EV models from major European customers weighed on its battery volumes.
The contrasting results show a widening competitive gap in the global battery market, with CATL consolidating its leadership and Chinese suppliers collectively increasing their presence both inside and outside China.
