Gasoline-only vehicles accounted for just 49% of global new-car sales in the first half of 2026, marking the first time on record that their share has fallen below 50%.
That is a major shift from 73% in 2021, according to Mobility Global data.
The decline does not mean most new cars are fully electric, however. Much of the lost share has gone to hybrids, which still use combustion engines.
Battery-electric vehicles reached 6.87 million sales in the first half of 2026, up 12%, giving them a 17% share of the global market.
Conventional hybrids performed even better, reaching 7.27 million sales, up 10%, and accounting for 18% of new vehicles sold.