Worldwide electric-vehicle sales reached a record in September, according to fresh data.
The 1.7 million in sales bested the old record, set last December, by 150,000 units, according to EV data provider Rho Motion.
China bests its own record despite U.S., European tariffs.

Year to date global EV sales total 11.5 million, up 22% year-over-year.
Pexels/Kindel Media
Worldwide electric-vehicle sales reached a record in September, according to fresh data.
The 1.7 million in sales bested the old record, set last December, by 150,000 units, according to EV data provider Rho Motion.
China led sales with 1.1 million for the month, accounting for more than half of total global sales on the strength of exports to Latin America and other parts of Asia as it faces U.S. and European tariffs. It surpassed its own monthly record, set in August, by 90,000 units, the company said.
Year to date, global EV sales total 11.5 million, up 22% year-over-year. Sales in the U.S. and Canada combined are up 10% to 1.3 million. Meanwhile, sales in Europe are down 4%.
“While the electrification of transport seems inevitable, the recent slowdown of sales in many parts of the world has sewn seeds of doubt which can now start to be swept aside,” said Rho Motion Data Manager Charles Lester in a press release on the sales results.
LEARN MORE: Industry Weighs in on Proposed Rule to Bar Chinese Vehicles

Thanks to improvements made to the frame rail of Jeep Wranglers, all units built after October earn an acceptable IIHS rating for a combination of driver- and passenger-side tests.
Read More →
EFI 2026 will take place April 13–15 at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.
Read More →
GM says more than 750 dealers across the U.S. are enrolled in CarBravo and that in January CarBravo dealers sold over two times the certified volume of Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers using traditional CPO.
Read More →A longtime newspaper journalist, Bobit Dealer Group's editor was raised on news back in the South. Now she brings that news-hound ethic to our four auto retail magazines.
Read More →
‘So You Think You Can Do F&I’ is a live role-play contest taking place at the 2026 Ethical F&I Managers Conference.
Read More →
A flat national rate despite inflation and other financial challenges shows industry loyalty stability, annual Reynolds and Reynolds research finds.
Read More →
According to board member Marco Schubert, the German automaker 'is well positioned to enhance its competitiveness in both North America and China,' and part of that includes management shifts.
Read More →
Deal volume ebbed and flowed throughout 2025, but product performance remained steady, according to automotive technology and data intelligence solutions provider StoneEagle.
Read More →
Auto loan originations rose over 6% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, but TransUnion predicts a slight decline in auto loan growth this year, making it an outlier in the company's overall lending forecast.
Read More →
Valuing employees, growing wisely, keeping up with tech, and contributing to stores’ communities cultivate success.
Read More →