Global electric vehicle (EV) sales grew 21% year-on-year in July, the slowest pace since January and down from 25% in June, as China’s plug-in hybrid momentum cooled, market research firm Rho Motion said on Wednesday.
China, the world’s largest car market and accounting for more than half of global EV sales, saw its growth ease to 12% in July, compared with a 36% monthly average in the first half. Rho Motion attributed the slowdown to a pause in some 2025 government subsidy schemes. The country’s EV sales reached around one million units.
“Global EV sales passed 10.7 million in the first seven months of 2025, showing a robust 27% increase year-to-date,” said Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester. “China continues to lead the global market and maintains EV penetration rates over 50% despite weaker sales month-on-month. Europe’s momentum is also impressive, with markets like Germany and the UK surging ahead.”
Global sales of battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 1.6 million units in July, with Europe climbing 48% to about 390,000 units, supported by incentives to speed up decarbonisation. North American sales grew 10% to more than 170,000 units, while sales in the rest of the world rose 55% to over 140,000 vehicles.
