China regains dominance of global EV market, with 53% of global sales in 2021

EV sales figures published by the China Passenger Car Association have confirmed China’s return to dominance in the global electric vehicle market, accounting for more than half of total new EV sales.

According to local reports this week, global sales of “new energy” passenger vehicles – including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (HEVs) – reached 6.23 million units in 2021, more than double the total from 2020.

These figures are similar to those published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in late-January, which put the figure at a slightly higher 6.6 million.

According to CPCA, China sold a total of 3.31 million new energy passenger vehicles in 2021, accounting for a 53% share of the global market, taking back the position it lost to Europe which finished 2021 with only 33%, while the United States accounted for 11% of new energy vehicle sales.

Again, CPCA’s figures align closely with those of the IEA, which reported China as finishing 2021 with 3.4 million electric vehicle registrations, which would account for a 51.5% share of the global market.

According to Chinese electric vehicle media outlet CnEVPost, which reported on the CPCA’s new report, China returned to global leader after a slump in 2020 which saw the country’s share of new energy vehicle sales fall to 41%, allowing Europe to jump a spot with 44%.

2020, though, was not a normal year – least of all for China, as it suffered from the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic and a revamped policy environment. At the same time, Europe’s own policy environment allowed it to make up for China’s slump.