Gasoline Cars Fall Below Half of Global New Sales for First Time
Data from Mobility Global shows gasoline-only vehicles made up just 49 percent of sales in the first half of 2026.
12 Oct 2026
#Mobility Global #Nikkei #IEA #China #Europe #US
Gasoline-only cars are now a minority of new car sales around the world. They accounted for 49 percent of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026. This marks the first time on record that their share has dropped below half.
The shift happened quickly over just a few years. Gas vehicles held 73 percent of the market in 2021. Their share fell to 49 percent by mid-2026 according to Mobility Global data first reported by Nikkei.
Most cars replacing gasoline models still have an engine. Hybrids sold more than battery-electric vehicles during this period. About 83 percent of new vehicles sold globally this year still came with an engine.
Battery-electric units grew by 12 percent to reach 6.87 million sales. They now hold 17 percent of the market up three percentage points. Conventional hybrids reached 7.27 million units for an 18 percent share.
Buyers moved away from gasoline due to fuel price spikes linked to the Middle East conflict. Shoppers sought lower running costs as oil prices rose. The whole car market shrank about 5 percent in the first half according to the IEA.
Gas-only sales fell twice as fast as the overall market during this period. Sales dropped the most in China where they were down 26 percent. Europe saw a decline of 13 percent for gasoline vehicles.
Electric vehicle numbers grew rapidly in several regions outside the United States. Battery-electric sales increased 32 percent in Europe to 1.81 million units. Southeast Asia saw an 81 percent rise to 350,000 sales and Oceania more than doubled.
An associate director at Mobility Global says few EV buyers return to gasoline or hybrids. Yoshiaki Kawano expects demand to grow based on genuine consumer needs as prices drop. He believes this trend is driven by needs rather than subsidies.
Media reports claiming electric vehicle growth has stalled are only true for the United States. Hybrid sales in the US were up 23 percent reaching a record 16.3 percent of vehicles sold. The data suggests gasoline share is not returning to previous levels.
Gasoline cars were not on top of the market during the early 1900s. Steam and electric cars outsold them in the US back then. Current records show this milestone matches that earlier historical period.