Petrol-only cars fall below half of global new-car sales for first time
Gasoline-only vehicles made up 49% of global new-car sales in the first half of 2026, the first time on record they have fallen below half, as fuel-price shocks accelerated the shift to hybrids and EVs.
Petrol-only cars are now a minority of the world’s new car sales. Gasoline-only vehicles accounted for 49% of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, down from 73% in 2021, according to data from Mobility Global first reported by Nikkei last week. It is the first time on record the share has fallen below half.
Sales of gasoline-only cars fell 10% from a year earlier to 20.25 million units between January and June, with their share dropping three percentage points in a single year, from 52% to 49%. Battery-electric vehicles grew 12% to 6.87 million units, taking 17% of the market, while conventional hybrids grew 10% to 7.27 million units, or 18%.
Nikkei ties the acceleration to oil: fuel prices spiked amid the conflict in the Middle East, pushing buyers toward lower running costs. Gasoline car sales fell hardest in China, down 26%, and Europe, down 13%. Battery-electric sales rose 32% in Europe to 1.81 million, jumped 81% in Southeast Asia, and more than doubled in Oceania. China remained half of the world’s EV market at 3.44 million units despite a 3% decline, while North American EV sales fell 15%.
Yoshiaki Kawano, an associate director at Mobility Global, told Nikkei that few EV buyers return to gasoline cars or hybrids, and expects demand driven by “genuine consumer needs rather than subsidies” to grow as prices fall.
The milestone comes with a caveat: most of the cars replacing gasoline-only models still have an engine. Hybrids outsold battery-electrics in the first half, and only the 17% that is battery-electric burns no fuel at all.
Sources
- Electrek — Gas cars fall below 50% of global sales for the first time (5 Oct 2026): https://electrek.co/2026/10/05/gas-cars-fall-below-50-percent-global-new-car-sales/
- Seoul Economic Daily — Gasoline Car Share of Global Sales Falls Below Half for First Time (3 Oct 2026): https://en.sedaily.com/international/2026/10/03/gasoline-car-share-of-global-sales-falls-below-half-for
- Nikkei Asia — Mobility Global first-half data, first reported 2 Oct 2026 (via Electrek and Seoul Economic Daily reporting above)
- ZeroHedge / OilPrice.com — Fuel Price Shock Pushes Gas Cars Under 50% Of Global New-Auto Sales For First Time (5 Oct 2026): https://www.zerohedge.com:443/markets/fuel-price-shock-pushes-gas-cars-under-50-global-new-auto-sales-first-time
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