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Plugin vehicle registrations worldwide reached approximately 1.8 million units in July, showing a 7% year-over-year increase. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) drove this growth with 16% YoY increase, while Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) continued to decline, dropping 11%. This trend has shifted the market share to 71% BEVs and 29% PHEVs.
Plugin vehicle registrations were up 7% year over year globally in July, ending the month at around 1.8 million units. Once again, BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing opposite dynamics, with pure electrics firm in double-digit growth while plugin hybrids remain in deep red .
And the different dynamics between pure electrics and plugin hybrids are reflected in the BEV vs. PHEV share of plugin sales. In July, BEVs represented 71% of all plugin sales, or about 1.3 million units, one of the best results of the past few years. That led the YTD breakdown to 71% vs. 29% in favor of pure electrics, which is their highest since 2022 .
Let’s see what happens if we remove China and the USA from the tally, which are experiencing their own market dynamics — PHEVs in China are crashing, while in the USA, EVs are still reeling from the end of the federal tax credit . Excluding those two auto markets, EVs are flying high,Share-wise, July saw BEVs end the month at 19% share, with the tally increasing to 27% if we add in PHEVs.
This performance kept the 2026 plugin share at high levels. BEVs are at 17%, while plugin hybrids are at 7% share.
Therefore,, it’s finally time for some news. True, the Tesla Model Y remained on top, despite deliveries dropping 9% YoY, but it’s below it that we find something to talk about. The Tesla Model 3 has seen its deliveries crash 44% YoY, to 19,000 units, ending the month in 11th, its lowest standing since January 2018…. Heck, even the Xiaomi SU7 ended up in front of it!
But there is a silver lining to this, as this drop is probably due to the lack of available units to deliver, so expect the Tesla sedan to rebound in August, and especially in September. But back to the July numbers, the BYD Song’s second place finish came about thanks to an export push and the new-generation Ultra body.
Flash charging capabilities promise to recharge the Song’s sales and make it a serious candidate, not only for podium positions in the second half of the year, but also to give the Model Y a run for its money in some off-peak months, like October. But the main beneficiaries of the Tesla Model 3’s slow month were a group of small EVs that packed the table, from 3rd to 7th — the #3 Geely Xingyuan, #4 BYD Yuan Up, #5 BYD Seagull, #6 Leapmotor A10, and #7 BYD Dolphin.right now.
This is good news not only because small EVs are more efficient, but also because the EV revolution is finally reaching the masses, and it is no longerOf the aforementioned pack, a special mention goes out to the rapid rise of the Leapmotor A10 , which is becoming something of a sales phenomenon. It reached 3rd in China this month, and with exports set to start in a few months, expect it to become top 5 material globally, maybe even reaching the podium a couple of times.
The BYD Dolphin also had a great performance. Its 26,000 registrations were its best score since last September. In this case, export markets have added significant volumes to the tally. Those markets include South Korea and especially Brazil and Europe .
Finally, and most surprising of all, the new generation of the Toyota RAV4 PHEV is pulling compact SUV sales to new heights. The Japanese plugin hybrid reached a record 12,236 registrations in July, fewer than 200 units from a top 20 spot.
Interestingly, the difference between the #20 Leapmotor B10 and the #24 VW ID.4 was under 400 units, which shows well how tight the race for the 20th position is between the aforementioned Leapmotor B10, the #21 BYD Seal 06, the #22 Geely EX5, the #23 Toyota RAV4 PHEV, and the #24 VW ID.4. Funny enough, this also meant that Toyota won 1st and 2nd place among legacy OEMs.
, the leader Tesla Model Y is really in its own league, selling twice as many units as the new runner-up BYD Song. With Tesla’s sedan having a slow month, the Chinese SUV took the opportunity to return to the runner-up position. The BYDis ramping up a new generation in China, and the current one is still selling in high volumes in export markets, so it will be difficult for the Model 3 to recover the #2 spot.
The real race, though, will be for the bronze medal. With the Geely Xingyuan now in 3rd, and a 15,000-unit advantage over the Tesla sedan, will the small hatchback be able to stave off the Model 3 from the third podium position in September? I have my doubts. Unless the Model 3 drop is related to demand and not production cycles, I believe the Texan will recover the #3 spot in September, even if by just a couple thousand units.
This would still leave the race for the bronze medal open until the last quarter, which would be a welcome point of interest. Elsewhere, there were a couple more BYDs on the rise, with the Seal 06 climbing one position to 13th while the BYD Yuan Plus/Atto 3 was up to 14th. Elsewhere, the Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7 jumped three positions, into 9th, while just behind it, the MG 4 hatchback was also up, to 10th.
In the second half of the table, the highlights are the ongoing rise of the sporty Xiaomi SU7, now in 14th, and Changan’s Qiyuan Q05 also continuing to move up the ladd, in this case to #16. Finally, we have two new faces on the table, both coming from Leapmotor!
The B10 small crossover joined the table at #17 and should climb further up the ranking in the coming months, while the C10 midsizer is now 20th, meaning the hot startup now has two representatives on the table, something only three other brands are able to do at the moment — Tesla, BYD, and Xiaomi. In the same timeline, Tesla was still preparing to land the Model X.The big news is Leapmotor continuing to surge, having scored yet another record sales month.
In fact, it reached the six-digit level for the first time ever and doubled its output YoY . The startup was actually close to reaching the runner-up position, losing only to Geely, which had to make an effort to keep Leapmotor at bay, scoring its best result since November on the way .
With a slew of fresh metal landing or ramping up , expect the startup’s sales to continue growing significantly. While BYD won’t have to worry about Leapmotor , everyone else has to.
As for Tesla, it was also caught up in Leapmotor’s never ending rise, ending the month in 4th, its worst standing since … January 2018! Tesla’s 19% delivery drop in July is probably linked to lack of available units, and the Texan brand will no doubt rebound in the next couple of months, but … the limits of a small lineup are starting to show.
Immediately below the top four, we have another eventful thing happening — the rise and rise of Toyota is now directly threatening Volkswagen, which ended fewer than 100 units ahead of the Japanese globetrotter. Here, also, the establishment is being challenged, with the longtime leader of legacy brands almost being surpassed by a player that many still consider a, Kia ended the month in 8th, with a record 44,867 registrations, thanks to an extensive lineup of dedicated BEVs .
That lineup is only set to grow further in the next couple of years . The Korean brand is now earning the profits of a clear strategy, something that its own partner/frenemy Hyundai is failing to do . Hyundai spread its investments more evenly , and was less focused on the pure BEV strategy.
Other highlights included Fang Cheng Bao, which scored a year best result of 41,213 units, and Aion, which profited from its new i60 crossover to also score a new year best, 32,505 registrations. #4 Leapmotor has distanced itself from the competition, and while #3 Geely should be too far ahead this year for the startup to aspire to a podium position, 2027 will be a different story — especially if, in the meantime, Leapmotor manages to buy or make a joint venture for a couple of Stellantis brands.
Lancia? Opel? Both? Actually, a portfolio with those three together would make sense in Europe — the Italian as the premium option, the German as the mainstream brand, and the Chinese as the value-for-money make.
Two more Chinese brands going up are SAIC’s MG, which climbed to 12th thanks to the new-generation MG 4, and Xpeng, which thanks to strong performances across the lineup was able to go up to 16th in July. And with the ambitious, BYD is stable in the lead, while runner-up Geely gained significant ground over slow moving Tesla, which lost 0.6% share in July and ended at its current 8.3%.
In fact, the US OEM ended the month of July in 6th, behind not only the other top 5 members, but also 5th placed … Leapmotor! This was the first time in nine years that this has happened, Tesla being out of the top 5 in a given month! #4 Volkswagen Group is stable in 4th, just like SAIC is in 5th. Behind the top 5, though, things are shaking up.
Leapmotor has just surpassed Hyundai–Kia and is the new 6th placed OEM. Looking just at BEVs , there were about 7.9 million registrations so far this year, or 71% of total plugin sales. Will they end the year above 75%?
Probably not, but if they did, that would be their best resultBYD is at the top, followed by Tesla , so the top two positions should be decided by now. In 3rd place, we have Geely , also safe in the last place on the podium. It has had no problem keeping #4 Volkswagen Group at bay.
Meanwhile, #5 SAIC is looking for a sign of weakness from the German OEM to steal its #4 spot. Outside the top 5, while Hyundai–Kia is still safe in the #6 spot, a rising Leapmotor could pose a threat to the Koreans in a couple of months.
Always interested in the auto industry, particularly in electric cars, Jose has pioneered on documenting the plug-in sales evolution through the EV Sales blog, allowing him to gain an expert view on where EVs are right now and where they are headed in the future. Extending that work and expertise, Jose was co-founder of EV-Volumes and currently works with the European Alternative Fuels Observatory on EV sales matters.
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