North America sold around 130,000 electric cars in June 2026, down 13% compared with the same month in 2025 and 9% below May. In the first half of the year, the regional total reached 730,000 units, a 20% year-on-year decline. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data, this made North America the weakest major EV market in June, even as global monthly electric vehicle sales surpassed 2 million units for the first time.
North American EV sales fall as global market hits new record
Benchmark identifies the removal of the U.S. federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases as the main cause of the slowdown. Demand has not collapsed, but it has lost the momentum that public incentives previously provided, revealing stronger sensitivity to fiscal support than parts of the industry had expected. The trend does not affect all manufacturers in the same way. General Motors and Ford recorded EV sales declines above the U.S. market average, while both groups continue to reassess their battery-electric strategies.
The contrast with Europe looks especially sharp. The Old Continent closed June with 530,000 electric cars sold, up 31% year on year and 28% compared with May. That lifted first-half volume to 2.5 million units, a 27% increase. Active incentives in several countries, high fuel prices, and a growing supply of more accessible electric models continue to support European demand.
China remains the world’s largest market, with 1 million electric cars sold in June alone and 4.9 million units in the first six months. However, it also shows signs of internal fatigue, with an 11% monthly decline and a 14% drop across the first half. Chinese manufacturers are offsetting weaker domestic demand by pushing exports, which reached almost 500,000 NEVs in June alone.
The global total of 9.6 million electric vehicles sold in the first six months of the year, up 7% from June 2025, therefore reflects very different regional dynamics. Europe is driving the expansion, China is looking abroad to absorb overproduction, and North America is paying the price for reduced public support. The 2026 picture confirms that the difference between growth and contraction depends largely on the combination of available incentives and the affordability of the models on sale.
