Petrol-only cars accounted for 49 per cent of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, falling below half of the market for the first time, as rising fuel prices and growing demand for electric vehicles continues to reshape the automotive industry. Sales of petrol-powered vehicles fell 10 per cent year-on-year to 20.25 million units between January and June, according to data from Mobility Global, an automotive data and analytics firm, in figures first reported by Japan’s Nikkei news outlet. ALSO READ: Are rising fuel prices driving e-mobility transition? Their share of global new-vehicle sales dropped from 52 per cent in the first half of 2025 and in 2021, petrol-only vehicles accounted for 73 per cent of new-vehicle sales, representing a 24-percentage-point decline in less than five years. The shift comes as rising fuel prices increase the cost of running conventional vehicles, while electric vehicles and hybrids gain ground in several major markets. The figures cover petrol-only vehicles, excluding diesel cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). ALSO READ: Govt mandates 30% electric vehicles in public procurement Global hybrid sales rose 10 per cent year-on-year to 7.27 million units in the first half of 2026, accounting for 18 per cent of new-vehicle sales. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales increased 12 per cent year-on-year to 6.87 million units, representing 17 per cent of the global market. The decline in petrol-only vehicle sales coincided with a surge in oil prices following conflict in the Middle East, which raised concerns about fuel supplies and pushed up petrol prices. The overall global car market fell by about five per cent in the first half of the year, while petrol-only vehicle sales fell twice as fast, according to figures cited by Electrek, a news publication that covers electric vehicles. ALSO READ: How efficient are electric motorbikes? Electric vehicles benefited from the shift, partly because of their lower running costs. However, their growth has varied across markets, reflecting differences in government incentives, vehicle prices and consumer demand. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, from July 2025 to the end of March 2026, a total of 1,555 fully electric cars were imported into Rwanda. The number had grown from just 19 EVs imported in 2020 to about 220 in 2024. Hybrid vehicle imports also surged over the same period. A report by EVcount Research, an electric-vehicle market data and analytics service, shows that global EV sales reached 9.91 million in the first half of 2026, up 5.5 per cent. BYD was the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, selling 1.29 million vehicles between January and June. Tesla ranked second with 838,155 sales, followed by Geely with 493,584, Changan with 394,468 and Leapmotor with 324,162. The figures cover both battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, with Chinese manufacturers taking four of the top five positions.
