Global electric vehicle sales rise by 29% in April
Global electric vehicle (EV) sales rose 29% year-on-year in April, despite global trade uncertainties, according to data released Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
A total of 1.5 million EVs were sold in April. While this indicates a 29% growth on an annual basis, a 12% decline was recorded on a monthly basis, according to a report by the UK-based research company Rho Motion.
In the January-April period of 2025, the sales reached 5.6 million, also up 29% compared to the same period last year.
In the first four months of this year, 3.3 million of the sales were realized in China, rising by 35% on an annual basis, while in April alone, the EV sales in China rose 32% year-on-year but fell 9% month-on-month.
In Europe, the sales grew by 25% year-on-year to 1.2 million in the first four months of the year.
Major markets in Europe saw strong growth in the first four months of the year. Sales rose 42% in Germany, 56% in Italy, 57% in Spain, and 32% in the UK.
In France, meanwhile, where consumer incentives weakened, sales fell 14% in the same period.
In the North American market, which includes the US, Canada, and Mexico, the sales increased by 5% year-on-year to reach 600,000 units in the January-April period.
In the rest of the world, electric vehicle sales in the first four months reached 500,000, up 37% year-on-year.
“Ongoing tariff negotiations are dominating talk in the electric vehicle industry, but quietly, domestic manufacturers in China and the EU continue to perform well and grow market share," said Charles Lester, Rho Motion data manager.
"The EU is certainly the success story for EV sales in 2025 so far, with emissions targets lighting a fire under the industry to accelerate the switch to electric. They have grown the market by a quarter in the first third of the year. In China, that year-on-year sales increase is even greater at 35%, spurred on by the vehicle trade-in scheme," he added.
While tariffs on EVs and parts continued to be imposed under former US President Joe Biden, these tariffs do not have a major impact on sales, as there is no significant export of electric vehicles from China to the US.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on all vehicles not made in the US.
Earlier it was reported that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Tuesday lowered its regional economic forecast for 2025 by 0.2 percentage points due to heightened trade policy uncertainty.
