Global Electric Vehicle Sales Slow Due to Weak Demand in China

SadaNews - Market research company RoMotion stated on Wednesday that global electric vehicle sales grew by 21% year-on-year in July 2025, the slowest growth rate since January, compared to 25% in June, due to a decline in momentum for hybrid vehicle sales in China.

The company's data showed that global sales of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose to 1.6 million units in July.

China is classified as the largest car market in the world, accounting for more than half of global electric vehicle sales, which, according to RoMotion's classification, includes battery electric vehicles and their plug-in hybrid counterparts.

Sales growth in China slowed during July, with BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, reporting its third monthly drop.

However, the slight slowdown in total global sales reflects other markets benefiting from this downturn, as incentives in Europe supported electric vehicle sales in efforts to accelerate decarbonization.

Charles Lister, data director at RoMotion, noted that the growth rate of electric vehicle sales in China, which averaged 36% per month in the first half of the year, slowed to 12% in July, with the market retracting after the suspension of some government support plans for purchasing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles set for 2025.