Global EV demand rises for second month after Iran war drives up petrol prices
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Registrations of new battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose 6 per cent from a year earlier to 1.6 million in April.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Gdansk, Poland – Global demand for electric vehicles rose for a second straight month in April as high petrol prices due to the Iran war kept steering buyers away from combustion engine cars, data from consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI) showed on May 13.
Registrations of new battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose 6 per cent from a year earlier to 1.6 million in April, a proxy for sales, although they fell 9 per cent from March’s record monthly high, BMI said.
“Demand continues to be supported by policy incentives, rising petrol prices and growing Chinese OEM (original equipment manufacturer) presence,” BMI said in a statement. Governments kept measures in place to limit fuel prices after the war in the Middle East disrupted a major shipping route for oil.
In Europe, registrations climbed 27 per cent to about 400,000 units in April, while countries in the European Economic Area and Switzerland have committed nearly 200 billion euros (S$299 billion) to their electric vehicle ecosystem, a recent study showed.
The global picture, however, was uneven.
In China, April registrations fell 8 per cent from a year earlier to roughly 850,000 vehicles after support for auto trade-ins was withdrawn and a tax break on electric vehicle purchases expired.
Even so, Chinese manufacturers expanded abroad, with exports topping 400,000 electric vehicles in April alone and total vehicle exports reaching nearly 1.4 million units in the first four months of 2026 – more than double a year earlier.
In North America, registrations dropped 28 per cent to 120,000 units in April after the end of a US tax credit scheme and proposals by US President Donald Trump’s administration to further ease carbon dioxide emissions rules.
Mexico stood out, with sales up nearly 50 per cent in 2026, while Canada’s 7 per cent decline is expected to reverse after a new incentive programme.
Chinese brands are also gaining ground in Europe despite European Union tariffs: 22 per cent of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids sold there in the first four months of 2026 were made in China, up from 19 per cent a year earlier, BMI data showed. REUTERS
