emirates7 - Global electric vehicle registrations continued to rise in the first half of the year, but growth slowed sharply, according to a study by consultancy PwC covering 43 major markets.

Around 6.6 million fully battery-powered electric vehicles, or BEVs, were newly registered, up 9 percent from the same period last year. While that still represents growth, the pace has slowed considerably. Registrations had risen by more than a third in the first half of 2025 and by almost a third over the whole of last year.

China was the main factor behind the slowdown. The world's largest electric vehicle market by far shrank by 5 percent in the first half of the year to just under 3.6 million BEVs, according to PwC.

However, registrations edged up again in the second quarter. As the overall car market contracted at the same time, fully electric vehicles accounted for 44 percent of all new registrations in China during the quarter.

Electric vehicle registrations also declined in the United States. Around 460,000 BEVs were registered in the first half of the year, down 22 percent from the same period in 2025. Fully electric vehicles accounted for just 6 percent of the US market.