Global EV sales climbed 8% in October, with Europe’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales jumping 49% and North America posting its first year-over-year increase in 2026. But that North American rebound comes with a big catch.
Drivers bought 2.09 million EVs worldwide last month, according to new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. That’s down 3% from September, but it brings sales for the first 10 months of 2026 to 17.5 million – up 5% from the same period last year.
Benchmark’s figures include both BEVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) in the passenger-car and light-duty vehicle markets.
Europe sold 510,000 EVs in October, up 36% year over year. Fully electric cars did most of the work: BEV sales rose 49%, while plug-in hybrids grew 7%.
