08:56Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Gasoline-Powered Cars’ Global Market Share Falls Below 50% for the First Time
For the first time, the share of gasoline-only models in global new car sales has fallen below 50%. According to Mobility Global, gasoline-powered cars accounted for 49% of global sales in the first half of 2026. By comparison, the figure was 73% in 2021.
In January-June 2026, global sales of gasoline-only cars fell by 10% compared with the same period last year, dropping to 20.25 million units. Their market share declined from 52% to 49% over one year. Thus, gasoline-powered cars have lost 24 percentage points of their global market share in just five years.
During the same period, sales of fully electric vehicles rose by 12% to 6.87 million units. They accounted for 17% of the global automotive market. Sales of conventional hybrids increased by 10% to 7.27 million units, representing 18% of the market.
Rising fuel prices are also reported to have played a role in the decline in demand for gasoline-powered cars. Consumers are said to have shown greater interest in vehicles with lower operating costs amid increases in oil and fuel prices following conflicts in the Middle East.
Overall, the global automotive market contracted by approximately 5% in the first half of the year. However, the 10% decline in sales of gasoline-only cars shows that this category is shrinking faster than the overall market.
The largest decline was recorded in China. Sales of gasoline-powered cars fell by 26% in the country and by 13% in Europe. In August, China recorded a 40% decline in combined sales of gasoline-powered cars and conventional hybrids. During the same period, sales of fully electric vehicles saw limited growth.
Electric vehicles have also begun to overtake gasoline-powered models in the European Union. According to ACEA, 1,641,333 electric vehicles were registered in the EU in the period through August. The corresponding figure for gasoline-powered cars was 1,634,733. Registrations of gasoline-powered cars fell by 18.6% during the same period.
Electric vehicle sales trends vary significantly by region. In Europe, sales rose by 32% to 1.81 million units in the first half of the year, while in Southeast Asia they increased by 81% to 350,000 units. In Oceania, sales more than doubled to 110,000 units.
Although sales of fully electric vehicles in China fell by 3% to 3.44 million units, the country still accounts for approximately half of electric vehicle sales worldwide. In North America, sales in this category are reported to have declined by 15%.
However, the decline in the market share of gasoline-powered cars to below 50% does not mean that most new cars sold worldwide are now fully electric. Mobility Global’s 49% figure covers only vehicles powered solely by gasoline engines that do not use another powertrain.
Hybrid vehicles are counted as a separate category, and their sales in the first half of 2026 were higher than sales of fully electric vehicles. Diesel and plug-in hybrid models are also included in other categories.
As a result, approximately 83% of new cars sold in the first half of 2026 still had an internal combustion engine. Vehicles powered solely by electricity accounted for 17%. Nevertheless, the figures show that gasoline-only cars are rapidly losing their dominant position in the global market.