Gasoline Cars' Share of Global Market Falls Below 50% for the First Time

For the first time in history, the share of gasoline cars in total global sales has fallen below 50%, signaling major changes in the auto industry. To fully understand this shift and the striking growth of electric vehicles, read this article. For the first time in history, the share of gasoline cars in total global sales has fallen …

0 Posted by: Iman Ahmadian on October 20, 1405 at 12:58

The share of gasoline cars in the world market reached less than 50% for the first time, which indicates major changes in the automobile industry; To fully understand the details of this evolution and the dramatic growth of electric vehicles, read this article.

For the first time in history, the share of gasoline cars from the total global sales fell to less than 50%, and this is an important turning point in the world's automotive industry. This fundamental evolution, which shows the increasing tendency of consumers towards more fuel-efficient and cleaner cars, will have wide-ranging effects on manufacturers as well as environmental planning in the global car market.

A significant decrease in the share of gasoline cars in the world market

New data from Mobility Global shows that the share of single-fuel gasoline vehicles in the first half of 2026 fell below 50% of the total sales of new vehicles in the global market for the first time. This figure is equivalent to 49% of the total global sales, which has experienced a significant decrease compared to 73% in 2021. The sale of fully gasoline cars in this period reached 20.25 million vehicles with a 10% drop; The share of these cars has decreased from 52% to 49% in just one year.

It is noteworthy that most of the cars that have replaced gasoline models are still equipped with internal combustion engines. Meanwhile, sales of all-electric vehicles increased by 12% to 6.87 million units and accounted for 17% of the market share. Ordinary hybrid cars also sold 7.27 million units with a 10% growth and took an 18% share of the market.

The table below provides the details of powertrain sales in the first half of 2026:

Including these figures, about 83% of the new cars sold in the world this year still benefited from the internal combustion engine. Nikkei attributes this rapid change to rising oil prices following Middle East conflicts and buyers' willingness to cut fuel costs. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), while the overall car market fell by around 5% in the first half of the year, sales of gasoline vehicles fell at twice the rate of the overall market.

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Growing demand for electric and hybrid cars

The decrease in gasoline car sales is mainly seen in China (26%) and Europe (13%), which is consistent with previous reports from these markets. In China, sales of conventional gasoline and hybrid vehicles fell 40 percent in August, while sales of electric vehicles rose slightly. Also in the European Union, ACEA registration data shows that sales of all-electric vehicles outpaced sales of gasoline vehicles in the year to August, and sales of gasoline vehicles in the region fell 18.6 percent.

Mobility Global's regional statistics also confirm the impressive growth of electric vehicles: sales in Europe increased by 32% to 1.81 million units. This growth in Southeast Asia was 81% (350 thousand units) and in Oceania it was more than double (110 thousand units). China, with 3.44 million units, still has half of the total global EV market, despite a 3% decline in growth. In contrast, North America experienced a 15% drop.

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Yoshiaki Kawano, CEO of Mobility Global, emphasized in an interview with Nikkei that only a small number of EV buyers are switching back to gasoline or hybrid vehicles. He predicts that as prices fall, demand will increase based on "real consumer needs, not subsidies." That view is in line with a CDK study in July that found 94 percent of EV owners have no intention of switching back to gasoline vehicles.

While Mobility Global's data on the share of gasoline vehicles in the U.S. belies the view that the U.S. is an exception and that gasoline sales are increasing after the end of the federal tax credit, a closer look reveals other facts. However, sales of electric vehicles in the United States have faced challenges, with Cox Automotive forecasting about 239,000 EVs sold in the third quarter, roughly 6% of the market (and 45% less than the 437,000 sold last year, when buyers rushed to take advantage of the September 30 deadline), and Ford also recently reported an 80% drop in EV sales for the quarter; But this decline does not necessarily mean that buyers will return to purely gasoline cars.

The driving force mix in the United States, according to Cox data for the second quarter, is as follows:

The sales of hybrids increased by 23% and gained a share of 16.3%, which is a new record. Also, the share of internal combustion vehicles (ICE) decreased rather than increased. In total, the share of electrified cars (including hybrid and battery-driven electric) has reached 23.2% from 22.4%. Cox also reported that the price of gasoline per gallon has reached about $4.50, a 41 percent increase over last year.

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A historical milestone in the automotive industry

This is a historical and real milestone. Pure gasoline vehicles have dropped from 73 percent to 49 percent of the market in less than five years, and there is no indication that they will be able to regain that share. The last time gasoline wasn't dominant in the US auto market was in the early 1900s; When steam and electric cars had a larger share of sales. Contrary to some media headlines that speak of "declining electric car sales" or "stopping electric car growth," the data clearly shows that this trend is only in the United States, and that the rest of the world is rapidly moving toward electrification, and the trend will not slow down.