CATL and BYD continued to dominate the global electric vehicle battery market in the first two months of 2026, although both companies saw their market shares decline, according to data from SNE Research.
Global EV battery usage reached 134.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in January–February, up 4.4% from a year earlier.
CATL retained its leading position with a 42.1% market share, down from 45.2% in January, while its battery installations rose 13.7% year-on-year to 56.9 GWh. The growth was supported by demand from key customers including Chinese automakers such as Li Auto, Nio, and Zeekr.
BYD ranked second globally but saw its share fall to 13.4%, down from 16.0% a year earlier. Its battery installation volume declined 12.5% year-on-year to 18.1 GWh, reflecting weaker domestic vehicle sales during China’s seasonal slowdown, despite growth in overseas markets.
Combined, CATL and BYD accounted for 55.5% of global battery usage in the period, down from 59.0% in January.
South Korea’s major battery manufacturers continued to lose ground. LG Energy Solution ranked third with an 8.7% share and 11.8 GWh of installations, down 2.7% year-on-year. SK On and Samsung SDI reported sharper declines, with usage falling 12.9% and 21.9%, respectively.
SNE Research attributed the downturn among South Korean firms partly to a nearly 30% drop in U.S. EV sales and softer demand from legacy automakers.
China’s CALB ranked fourth with a 4.7% share, followed by Japan’s Panasonic at 4.0%.
Other Chinese suppliers, including Gotion High-Tech and EVE Energy, also featured in the top 10, reflecting continued competition and diversification within the global battery supply chain.
