Global EV sales rose 8% in October 2026 as China fell, Rho Motion says

Rho Motion, the data arm of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, counted 2.09 million electric and plug in hybrid vehicles sold worldwide in October 2026. That is 8% more than October 2025, though 3% lower than September, according to the firm's report published on 12 November 2026. Year to date sales for January to October stand at 17.5 million units, up 5% on the same period last year.

China cools, Europe surges

The regional split shows why the global number looks flat month on month even as some markets are running hot. China, still the world's largest EV market, sold 1.14 million units in October, down 12% year on year, though that decline has narrowed from an 18% fall in September. Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester said Chinese manufacturers are leaning harder on exports to offset the weaker domestic market, with passenger car NEV exports hitting almost 600,000 units in the month, a new monthly record.

Europe moved the other way, with sales up 36% year on year to 510,000 units, ahead of its 31% growth pace for the year so far. North America sold 130,000 units, up 24% year on year, while the rest of the world, a bucket that includes India, grew 85% year on year to 300,000 units. Rho Motion does not break India out separately in this report, so it sits inside that wider "rest of world" category alongside other fast growing markets.

Where India fits in the global count

India's own numbers, tracked separately through the Vahan portal, give a sense of scale. EVreporter's analysis of October 2026 Vahan registrations puts the country's total EV count, across two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers and buses, at 3,54,284 units for the month. Two wheelers made up 2,23,964 of that and four wheelers 36,745. EV penetration in both categories actually eased from September, with two wheelers down to 9.7% and four wheelers down to 7.3% of their respective markets.

Read against Rho Motion's regional buckets, India's monthly count is a meaningful slice of the "rest of world" growth story, though the two datasets measure different things. Rho Motion counts cars and vans sold in showrooms. Vahan counts every registered electric vehicle including two and three wheelers, which dominate India's volumes. Neither source lets you cleanly compute India's exact share of the 2.09 million global figure, since the categories do not line up.

What it means for buyers here

For an Indian buyer, the practical takeaway is less about the headline growth number and more about where the money and metal are flowing. Export driven Chinese capacity is one reason battery cell and EV prices keep sliding globally, a trend that eventually feeds into what Indian brands can price their cars at. Europe's surge is being driven by incentive heavy markets like Germany and France, a reminder that India's EV uptake, running without a purchase subsidy since the FAME scheme wound down, is happening on comparatively thin policy support. The slowdown in India's own penetration rate in October, even as unit numbers rose, is worth watching into the festive and year end months.

Sources

• Global EV sales reach 2.09 million units in October 2026, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence / Rho Motion
• Global demand for electric cars rebounds in October, TimesLIVE
• India's Electric Vehicle Sales Trend, October 2026, EVreporter