Gasoline-Only Cars Drop Below Half of Global Sales in 2026

Mobility Global data analyzed by Nikkei shows gasoline-only cars accounted for 49 percent of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, dropping below half for the first time since mass adoption.

Between January and June 2026 Mobility Global recorded 7.27 million hybrid units, 6.87 million battery-electric vehicles and 20.25 million gasoline-only vehicles.

The internal combustion engine still figures in a large majority of new purchases when hybrids are included, but gasoline-only models no longer form a standalone majority.

Gasoline-only sales declined 10 percent year over year in H1 2026, and their share fell three percentage points from H1 2025. In H1 2021 gasoline-only vehicles represented 73 percent of the market, a 24-point slide to 2026.

Nikkei and Mobility Global say unusually high fuel prices contributed; they cite a Middle East conflict started by Trump and the resulting oil-market disruption that pushed gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher.

The analysts caution that timing matters: H1 figures cannot prove that pump-price shocks caused the entire decline, because electrification, government policy, model availability and regional conditions were already reshaping demand.

The International Energy Agency reports global electric vehicle sales rebounded 35 percent in the second quarter compared with the first, even as overall vehicle sales fell about 5 percent in the first half. The IEA says BEV sales hit record quarterly levels in 50 countries and that more than 90 countries recorded year-over-year BEV growth in the first quarter.

Regionally, China accounted for almost half of global BEV sales with 3.44 million in the first six months, a 3 percent decline the analysts attribute to reduced tax incentives from January 2026. North American BEV sales fell 15 percent.

Europe registered 1.81 million BEVs in H1, up 32 percent. Southeast Asia jumped 81 percent and Oceania more than doubled volume. Europe’s latest data show BEVs at 21.7 percent of EU registrations through August 2026; hybrids held 36.6 percent and gasoline and diesel combined fell to 29 percent.

Automakers in Japan continue to emphasize hybrids, with Toyota and Honda named as leaders in that segment.

Mobility Global projects battery-electric vehicles will exceed 30 percent of global vehicle production by 2030.

Data cover new-vehicle sales and registrations from January through June 2026; regional definitions, incentive changes and test cycles vary by market. Original analysis published 5 Oct 2026 by Mircea Panait.