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Plugin vehicle registrations were up 8% year over year (YoY) in June, ending the month at around 2 million units. Once again, BEVs (+21% YoY) and PHEVs (-14% YoY) are seing opposite dynamics, with pure electrics firm in double-digit growth while plugin hybrids remained deep in the red.
In fact, the 21% growth rate of BEVs is the highest since September, a promising sign for pure electrics going into the second half of the year.
This meant that, while the plugin YTD growth is low (+4% YoY), that is solely due to the PHEV blues (-11% YoY). BEVs are on their way back to normal (+11%).
And the different dynamics between pure electrics and plugin hybrids are reflected in the BEV vs. PHEV share of plugin sales. In June, BEVs represented 72% of all plugin sales, or about 1.4 million units, one of the best results of the past few years. That led the YTD breakdown now to be 71% vs. 29% in favour of pure electrics, which is the highest since 2022 (72% then).
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 (although, to be fair, *Q1 was worse than Q2 *— plugins dropped 40% in the former while they dropped around 20% in the latter). Excluding those two auto markets, EVs are flying high, jumping 52% YoY globally in June, with BEVs surging 62% YoY.
Share-wise, June saw BEVs end the month at 22% share, with the tally increasing to 30% if we add in PHEVs. (And 45% if we add plugless HEVs.) This performance pushed the 2026 plugin share upward. BEVs increased their share by one point, to 17%, while plugin hybrids are at 7% share. Therefore, the 2026 EV share is now at 24%.
For context, five years ago, the EV share was at 6% (4% for BEVs only), while ten years ago, it was at around … 1% (and 0.6% for BEVs). Yep, we’ve come a long way….
Looking at the best selling models, it’s Tesla and Chinese. Once again, there were no legacy OEM representatives in the top 20, with the June podium replicating exactly the last four years — Tesla Model Y on top, BYD Song in second, and the Tesla Model 3 winning bronze.
And all three experienced positive performances in June. The leader Tesla Model Y (153,813 units, up 21% YoY) had its best month ever, thanks to the standard versions and the L three-row body, along with the increased demand for BEVs globally.
The BYD Song’s second position was somewhat a surprise, beating the high tide of the Tesla Model 3. Thanks to an export push and the new-generation Ultra body, June’s 62,000 units represented a new high for the last 12 months. Flash charging capabilities promise to recharge the Song’s sales and make it a serious candidate for podium positions in the second half of the year.
As for the Tesla Model 3, despite ending in 3rd, the 60,000 deliveries in June still represented a 30% volume increase YoY, and its best score since last September. Not bad for such a veteran model….
Another surprise was the 4th position of the BYD Yuan Up/Atto 2, with a record 37,589 registrations. Thanks to a recent refresh and the launch of a new PHEV version, the small-to-compact crossover is becoming a star player in the BYD lineup.
Another highlight in the first half of the table was the Leapmotor A10, which continued rise. The fully electric small crossover was 8th, with some 25,000 registrations in only its fourth month on the market, which is already the best position ever for a model from the startup. That could mean that Leapmotor has found its star player, joining a lineup of consistent performers.
At BYD, the #7 Dolphin BEV had its best score since last September, thanks to some 25,000 registrations, in no small part thanks to its popularity in markets as different as Brazil, South Korea, and Thailand. At #9, the compact crossover Sealion 05 scored a record score of 22,357 registrations, with export markets starting to help it reach new heights.
Looking at the second half of the table, the highlight is Changan’s Qiyuan Q05, scoring a record 19,466 registrations. This is a model just begging to be exported, and I am sure the Chinese OEM will do so once its Deepal mainstream brand is established in export markets. It can then offer the Q05 compact crossover as a value-for-money alternative.
Finally, the new-generation Wuling Bingo, called Pro, is pushing the small hatchback back onto the table, in this case to 19th thanks to 14,568 registrations, the nameplate’s best score in 13 months.
Outside the top 20, there wasn’t much to talk about, with the highlight being the fact that the best selling legacy model belonged to BMW. The BMW iX1/X1 PHEV twins (13,792 units) were #22, ahead of the Toyota BZ4X (12,830 units). These two models have consistently been the best selling legacy models over the past few months, but a new one might join them — the new BMW iX3 has scored a record 9,175 registrations, and with production ramping up in order to meet demand, we could see the midsize SUV become the best selling legacy model and maybe — just maybe — join the table? Please? Pretty please?…
Another model with good prospects to join the table soon is Chery’s Jaecoo 5. A sort of Range Rover Evoque for half the price, the electric Jaecoo scored a record 11,965 registrations thanks to its success in markets like Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, the UK, and Israel, all markets where the compact crossover scored four-digit results in June.
Year to date, the leader Tesla Model Y is really in its own league, selling twice as many units as the new runner-up Tesla Model 3.
This was a surprising development, with Tesla’s sedan benefitting from its expected delivery peak and the Geely Xinguyan’s meh June performance, thus leading to the Model 3 rising one position.
The 2nd position standing should be short lived, though, because the BYD Song is once again rising. The Chinese SUV is ramping up a new generation in China, and the current one is still selling in volumes in export markets, so it will be difficult for the Model 3 to retain the second spot. Still, not all is lost. With the Geely Xingyuan sales pace being below it, and the BYD Yuan Up/Atto 2 too far behind to pose a threat, it seems likely that the Model 3 will retain its podium position, something it has held since 2018.
Oh, and for the fifth year in a row, we will have — Tesla Model Y in 1st, BYD Song in 2nd, and Tesla Model 3 in 3rd. *Boooring…. *I mean, even the overall podium seems more dynamic than this.
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 sporty Xiaomi SU7 continued on the rise, jumping four positions to 15th, with Changan’s Qiyuan Q05 joining the table at #17.
Finally, the Deepal S05 climbed one spot, to 19th. Thus, Changan now has two representatives in the top 20.
Manufacturers: Leapmotor rises to the podium
The big news is Leapmotor surpassing Geely in June, and ending the month in 3rd, thanks to a record 93,376 units.
With a slew of fresh metal landing, or ramping up (A10 small crossover, A05 small hatchback, D19 large SUV, D99 large MPV…), expect the startup’s sales to continue growing significantly. So, while the top two won’t have to worry about Leapmotor (for now, at least), Geely does have to watch out.
Speaking of the top two, after a long period in the red, BYD is back in positive numbers thanks to export markets, which now represent over 40% of its sales.
As for Tesla, if it hadn’t been for Leapmotor’s never ending rise, it would have been this month’s highlight, thanks to almost 220,000 deliveries in June, a new record month for the Texan brand and a 24% improvement YoY. Will this accelerated growth continue? I believe the response will be positive, at least for this year and the beginning of the next, because while the Model 3 might start to slow down in the meantime, the Model Y’s Long Wheelbase version will see sales growth in markets outside of China.
But what about Tesla’s near term profitability? Well … I will leave that topic to others with better insights on that.
Off the podium, other highlights included Zeekr, which ended the month in 14th with a record 35,169 registrations. The big surprise was the 007 sedan/7 GT wagon twins, which together registered close to 8,000 units, making the model Zeekr’s best selling model in June. Who would have thought that a station wagon body would save the 007’s career and make the midsize model a hot seller?… (Volvo, take notes)
Still in China, #11 MG scored another record month, with SAIC’s export brand owing much of its success to the MG 4 hatchback, which represented over half of its registrations.
On the legacy brand’s side, the highlight continues to be Toyota. Thanks to a record 46,246 units, the brand was up to 7th, only some 2,000 units behind arch-rival Volkswagen. I have long defended that the Japanese maker could quickly jump into the top positions with a minimum effort, and that’s what is happening.
Both BMW and Mercedes had positive months, with the former reaching some 54,000 registrations, its best result in a year, while the former had close to 36,000 deliveries, a new year best. So, while both are being impacted by the rise of Chinese OEMs, they are moving in the right direction (as in, attractive new BEVs that can justify their price premiums) in order to keep their niche in a future fully electrified automotive market. Which is more than one can say about #19 Audi….
Leapmotor surpasses Volkswagen
As for the year-to-date table, there was no major news on the podium, but right below it, things are changing.
#4 Leapmotor has distanced itself from the competition, and while #5 Geely is too far away 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. Just my 2 cents….
Two more Chinese brands going up are SAIC’s MG, which climbed to 13th thanks to the new-generation MG 4, and AITO, which thanks to strong performances across the lineup was able to go up to 17th in June. Funny enough, this is a Chinese brand that still hasn’t made the jump towards export markets, so that growth potential is still untapped.
A final mention goes to Mercedes, which was up to 11th thanks to strong sales of its new generation of BEVs, especially the CLA (a record 8,500 sales in June).
Looking at OEMs, BYD (19.2%) is stable in the lead, while runner-up Geely (9.9%, down 0.2%) saw its namesake brand and Lynk & Co drag down the group, counter-balancing Zeekr’s good performances.
#3 Tesla (8.9%, up from 8.1% in May) profited from a record high tide in June and distanced itself from #4 Volkswagen Group (7.3%, down from 7.6% in May). At the same time, it gained precious ground on Geely, so the US make might have a shot at the runner-up spot if Geely continues to slide.
SAIC remained in 5th, with 6.5% share, while #6 Hyundai–Kia (4%, down 0.2%) is now being threatened by a rising Leapmotor (3.8%, up from 3.6% in May), now in 7th.
Comparing the current standing with what was happening a year ago, stability is the word. All the top 5 positions remained the same. Although, at the end of the first half of 2025, BYD was far higher, at 23.5% share. The distance between #2 Geely and #3 Tesla was larger (3.1% then vs 1% now), all while #5 SAIC was much closer to the Volkswagen Group, with only 0.2% share separating the two then, against 0.8% now (all those Wuling Mini EVs really make a difference…).
Looking just at BEVs, there were about 6.6 million registrations so far this year, or 71% of total plugin sales. Will they end the year above 75%? If so, that would be their best result since 2012....
At the top, Tesla (12.6%, up 1.1%) has seen its share jump, but despite this, the 2026 leader is still BYD (13.9%).
In 3rd place, we have Geely (8.7%, down 0.2%), keeping #4 Volkswagen Group at bay (6.6%, down 0.3% share). Meanwhile, #5 SAIC (6.3%, down from 6.4% in May) is starting to reach the back of the German OEM.
Outside the top 5, #6 Hyundai–Kia (4.6% share, down 0.2%) is the only OEM close to the top 5 automakers. Although, a rising Leapmotor, now 7th, is now at 3.9% share and could pose a threat to the Koreans in few months.
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