One in Four New Cars Sold Worldwide in 2025 Was Electric, With Fast Charging the New Race
One in four new vehicles sold worldwide in 2025 was electric, and the next phase of the shift will be decided by high-performance charging infrastructure, Roland Berger's EV Charging Index finds.
- 1 in 4
- 3.7 million vehicles
- around 1.1 million
- around 45
What Happened
Electromobility reached a new global milestone in 2025: one in four newly sold vehicles worldwide was an electric vehicle, and global electric vehicle sales grew by more than 20% over the year. The findings come from the seventh edition of Roland Berger's EV Charging Index, which analyzed data from leading international market and research organizations. Europe rebounded strongly after a weak previous year, with EV sales rising by around one-third to 3.7 million vehicles, or nearly 30% of all new car sales in the region. North America, in contrast, experienced a market slowdown driven by political uncertainty and weaker consumer sentiment.
1 in 4
Global EV sales grew by more than 20% in 2025, according to the seventh Roland Berger EV Charging Index.
- Norway: 88.6%
- Netherlands: 60.4%
- Sweden: 59.2%
- China: 49.9%
- Germany: 28.3%
- USA: 9.6%
- Nearly half
- Just over 20% (about one in five)
Around 1.1 million new public charge points were installed worldwide in 2025, a slight decline compared with the previous year. Roland Berger says this does not signal weakening investment but reflects a maturing market, where the focus is shifting from network expansion to infrastructure performance and to growth in fast and ultra-fast charging above 150 kW. The trend is driven by growing demand for shorter charging times and the increasing commercial attractiveness of high-power charging infrastructure. In Western Europe there are currently around 45 BEVs per fast charge point on average — a level that keeps charging availability generally in line with user demand, though the ratio is expected to increase as charging networks mature and infrastructure economics improve.
“The next phase of electromobility will not be determined by vehicles alone, but by the availability of high-performance charging infrastructure. The key challenge for Europe is to ensure that the rapid growth of electric vehicles is accompanied by the right charging provision to fit the needs of tomorrow's EV drivers.”
45
Charging availability is generally keeping pace with user demand, but the ratio is expected to rise as networks mature.
Why this matters
Europe's EV sales jumped about a third to 3.7 million vehicles while North America slowed, and China now sells more electric than conventional cars. How quickly public fast charging is built out will decide whether buyers can actually use those cars, and where charge point operators invest next.
Terms in This Story
- BEV
- Battery electric vehicle — a car powered purely by a battery and electric motor, with no gasoline or diesel engine.
- PHEV
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle — a car with a battery that can be recharged from the grid plus a combustion engine.
- Fast or ultra-fast charger
- A high-power public charging point, defined in this study as 150 kW or more, that can recharge a vehicle much faster than a standard charger.
- Charge point operator
- A company that installs and runs public charging stations for electric vehicles.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.