For decades, roads have been dominated by fuel-powered cars. While they are effective as a means of transportation, traditional autos no longer cut it in today’s society, where environmental conservation and protection are top priorities.
One solution to the growing environmental concerns brought about by CO2 emissions is electric cars. One of the vital electric car statistics is that their number worldwide has grown recently, and it seems that the industry will continue to grow in the coming years.
Companies like Tesla and Nissan are leading the fray when it comes to developing electric cars. But there is much more when it comes to this industry. To understand it, we need to see some amazing facts and stats related to electric cars.
Noteworthy Electric Car Facts (Editor’s Choice)
- Tesla Model 3 is the most commonly sold electric vehicle model globally
- Electric vehicles have a nearly 60% lower lifestyle impact compared to ICE cars
- There were over 7 million electric vehicles on the roads globally in 2019
- In 2020, 761,000 electric vehicles were sold
- 10.2 million electric cars operated globally in 2020
- Europe became the largest market for plug-in EV sales in 2020
- In 2020, Norway was the country with the highest share of plug-in electric vehicles
- In 2021, six of the ten best-selling plug-in EV models globally were from Chinese brands
General Electric Car Statistics
Not only do electric vehicles cost less to charge than gasoline cars, but they are also a greener alternative. However, not everyone can afford them.
1. Tesla Model 3 is the most sold electric vehicle model worldwide.
(Forbes)
In 2020 alone, Tesla shipped a total of 439,760 Model 3 vehicles. In addition, Tesla Model 3 became the 16th best-selling car worldwide in 2021. In fact, it has sold more than 800,000 units overall.
2. Electric vehicles statistics find that one in ten electric car buyers is between 25 and 34 years old.
(CNBC)
That’s not much of a surprise, as younger generations in the United States are struggling with wage stagnation and student debt. That said, over 70% of electric vehicle customers’ incomes are around $100,000.
3. Around 65% of Gen Z consumers note that charging an electric vehicle costs less than fueling a gas vehicle.
(CNBC)
Based on the US Department of Energy, charging an electric vehicle costs nearly half as much as fueling a gasoline car. In other words, an electric eGallon costs $1.24, while a gallon of gasoline costs $2.64, on average.
4. Electric car emissions statistics reveal that EVs have an almost 60% lower lifestyle impact than ICE cars.
(Virta)
Many studies have been conducted to see which vehicle is more harmful to the environment. For the sake of this study, an ICE car was compared to the 2019 Nissan Leaf.
The results were the following: 128g of CO2 emission per km by the electric vehicle vs. 258g of CO2 emission per km by the ICE car.
5. In the last four years, eleven Tesla self-driving vehicle accidents have been reported.
(VOA News)
In detail, they resulted in 17 injuries, and, unfortunately, one death. That’s why the US Department of Transportation began an investigation into the auto manufacturer’s autopilot system.
Electric Vehicle Statistics for 2019 and 2020
These two were some of the record-breaking years for the electric vehicle industry.
6. In 2019, there were 2.1 million electric car sales worldwide.
(IEA)
That represented a 6% rise compared to the previous year. Furthermore, electric cars accounted for 2.6% of global car sales that year. On top of that, they accounted for 1% of global car stock in 2019.
7. By 2019, there were 7.2 million EVs on the roads worldwide, according to electric car statistics.
(IEA)
Let’s not forget that back in 2010, the number of electric vehicles on the roads globally was only 17,000. Overall, nine countries had over 100,000 electric cars on the roads in 2019, and at least 20 countries had market shares of over 1%.
8. In 2020, Europe became the largest market for plug-in EV sales.
(Statista)
There, people bought around 1.39 million plug-in EVs. China was right behind Europe, with 1.33 million purchases. Then again, the US took third place, as the number of plug-in electric cars bought in the US was 328,000 that year.
9. In 2020, Norway had the highest share of plug-in electric vehicles.
(LiveMint)
More specifically, the country had a 75% share and more EVs per capita than any other country.
The reasons behind the high market share are the policies, such as toll exemptions and tax exemptions. In fact, an electric car owner in Norway is exempted from paying sales tax or road tax.
Other countries with a high market share of plug-in EVs in 2020 were Iceland, Finland, and Sweden.
10. Electric vehicle sales statistics from 2020 confirmed that 761,000 electric vehicles were sold that year.
(Motivair Cooling Solutions)
This record number showed a fifth consecutive year of increase in these sales. Moreover, the electric vehicle market hit the 10 million mark that year, a rise of approximately 43% compared to 2019.
11. In 2020, 10.2 million electric vehicles operated worldwide.
(Statista)
All-electric vehicles represented 67% of plug-in electric vehicles. Moreover, electric car sales worldwide in 2020 involved over three million units sold. That year, the market share of electric vehicles rose to 4%–5%.
12. The US registered 295,000 new electric cars in 2020.
(IEA)
Of them, 78% were battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Federal incentives declined in 2020 because of the federal tax credits for General Motors and Tesla, which account for the greater part of the electric car registrations.
13. If you want to know what percent of sold cars are electric in 2020, the answer is 1.7%.
(Energy)
Even though new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States dropped in 2020, all-electric vehicle sales increased from the year before. As a matter of fact, electric sales accounted for 1.4% of all sales in 2019.
14. China had over 800,000 publicly available EV chargers in 2020.
(Statista)
The country accounted for more than 60% of such chargers globally. The US took second place, with 82,263 slow and 16,700 fast chargers.
That year, China was also in the lead in terms of fast chargers. Namely, out of the nearly 386,000 publicly available fast EV chargers globally in 2020, over 80% were in China.
Electric Vehicle Sales Statistics 2021
Tesla, especially models Y and 3, dominated the market for electric vehicles in 2021. However, six of the ten best-selling plug-in EVs were models from Chinese brands.
15. In 2021, the best-selling EV brand was Tesla.
(Statista)
That year, Tesla accounted for the sales of 936,200 plug-in EVs worldwide. Moreover, some of the other best-selling brands were Volkswagen Group and BYD, as electric car facts confirm. All in all, plug-in electric vehicle registrations increased in 2021.
If you have a Tesla, what you might also find beneficial is the article we have prepared that covers the best Tesla insurance.
16. The Tesla Model 3 was the most popular plug-in EV globally in 2021.
(Statista)
That year, there were around 501,000 sales of that model worldwide. As a matter of fact, deliveries of Tesla’s Mode; Y and Model 3 more than doubled year-over-year. Also, electric car sales statistics reveal that in 2021, these two models represented 97% of Tesla’s sales volume.
17. Six of the ten best-selling plug-in EV models globally were from Chinese brands in 2021.
(Inside EVs)
So, apart from Tesla’s Models 3 and Y, the top 10 best-selling plug-in electric vehicles in 2021 comprised Volkswagen ID.3 and 4 and six other models from Chinese brands. These models were:
- Wuling’s Hong Guang MINI EV
- BYD Qin Plus PHEV
- Li Xiang One EREV
- BYD Han EV
- BYD Song Pro/Plus PHEV
- Changan Benni EV
18. EVs, including battery-electric and plug-in hybrids, accounted for 7.2% of the global car sales in the H1 of 2021.
(Utility Dive)
So, there’s your answer to: “What percentage of cars sold are electric in 2021?” The statistic mentioned above showed an increase from the two previous years. In fact, EVs accounted for 2.6% of the global car sales in 2019 and 4.3% in 2020.
19. In the US, there were 97,600 charging outlets in February 2021.
(Statista)
Moreover, the number of charging stations was 40,600 at the time. Charging outlets are typically located in urbanized areas, and at each public electric station, there may be one or more charging outlets.
The state with the highest number of charging outlets and stations is California.
Electric Cars Information: Facts About the Future
EVs have become a more appealing alternative for consumers because of their increased range, efficiency, battery life, and affordability. Data shows these vehicles will only become more popular in the forthcoming years.
20. The global EV market size is predicted to reach $1 trillion by 2026.
(Statista)
Between 2020 and 2026, the global EV market size is forecast to rise by more than four-fold, as facts about electric cars suggest. Furthermore, that translates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 23.06% between 2021 and 2026.
21. Estimates suggest that by 2030, California will sell five million plug-in EVs.
(Green Car Reports)
Let’s not forget that it took ten years for the state to get to one million plug-in EVs sold. However, these predictions might come true with a bullish approach to EV infrastructure, mainstream marketing attention, robust incentives, and a corresponding federal push.
Electric vehicle facts uncover that by the end of 2021, Californians had bought around 663,014 battery EVs.
If you are interested in finding the best insurance in California, we offer you a separate article on that.
22. By 2050, the global demand for EV batteries is predicted to amount to 6,560 gigawatt-hours.
(Statista)
In 2020, the global demand amounted to 110 gigawatt-hours. Then again, by 2025, that number will probably reach 650 gigawatt-hours, and by 2030 — 1,910 gigawatt-hours. The demand is only projected to increase, and by 2035, it will reach 3,860 gigawatt-hours.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen from these electric cars facts and stats, the use of electric cars across the world is steadily increasing. In fact, the sales have shown a healthy rise over the last several years.
In the United States, some states are leagues ahead of the others in terms of EV take-up, with California topping the list.
What makes this greener change more exciting is that more nations are making an effort to urge their citizens into joining the revolution. Hopefully, these statistics can help encourage others to do the same.
People Also Ask
What percentage of the world’s cars are electric?
Generally speaking, electric vehicles have become a more appealing alternative for consumers due to many factors, like their increased range, battery life, efficiency, and affordability. As per the latest data, which is from 2019, somewhere around one in 250 cars globally is electric.
That year, there were over 2 million electric car sales worldwide, which represented a 6% rise compared to the previous year. Furthermore, electric cars accounted for 2.6% of global car sales that year.
What percentage of cars are electric in the US?
The US is one of the frontrunners when it comes to electric cars on the road.
In 2020, the United States registered 295,000 new electric vehicles, and 78% of them were battery electric vehicles (BEVs). All in all, out of the 250 million cars, light-duty trucks, and SUVs on the US roads, less than 1% are electric.
Moreover, California has the highest number of electric vehicles in the US. In detail, it is the home of around 42% of the EVs nationwide.
What percentage of new cars sold are electric?
EVs, including battery-electric and plug-in hybrids, accounted for 7.2% of the global car sales in the first half of 2021.
Moreover, in the whole of 2021, EVs more than doubled, accounting for almost 9% of the global car market. Also, they more than tripled their market share compared to 2019. In fact, all the net growth in global car sales in 2021 came from EVs.
What percentage of cars are electric in 2020?
Despite the fact that new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States dropped in 2020, all-electric vehicle sales increased from the previous year. As a matter of fact, electric sales accounted for 1.4% of all sales in 2019. Then again, that percentage was even higher in 2020. Namely, electric car statistics note that electric cars represented 1.7% of the overall number of sold cars in 2020.
