WASHINGTON, DC (June 16, 2026) — Legacy automakers across the United States, Japan, and Europe risk falling further behind new market leaders, finds the fourth annual Global Automaker Rating, published today by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).
Global electric vehicle (EV) sales reached one in four new vehicles sold globally in 2025 — up from one in five in 2024. Yet even as almost all car manufacturers increased their EV sales share year-over-year, the ratings also revealed a deepening divide between automakers doubling down on electrification and those hedging their bets amid short-term market and policy shifts.
As the only all-electric automakers in the rating, Tesla and BYD, once again came out ahead. The margin is shrinking between the two, however, as BYD surpassed Tesla’s global battery-electric vehicle sales for the second year in a row.
Several Chinese companies were also among the top performers for the second year in a row, recording EV sales share increases of 5 to 10 percentage points. SAIC and Geely each reached a sales share of at least 50% or above, followed closely by ChangAn. However, Chinese automakers saw plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as the majority of their EV sales, while most other manufacturers sold a larger proportion of battery-electric vehicles. (....)