Global trends in auto electrification and public charging:
Asia and Europe accelerate while North America pulls back on electric vehicles
The seventh edition of the Roland Berger EV Charging Index finds global electric vehicle adoption advancing at pace – but unevenly. In 2025, more than one in four new vehicles sold worldwide was an EV, and the total EV parc across our 34 focus countries surpassed 73 million. Sales penetration in Asia-Pacific and Europe accelerated, while EV sales shares in North America and Japan fell amid policy headwinds and softer consumer confidence. On the infrastructure side, the shift toward (ultra-fast) public charging continued. For the past couple of years, public charging infrastructure installation outpaced EV parc growth, building the backbone of the bigger and better networks EV users demanded. That trend reversed in 2025, with growth favoring charge point utilization and economics. This report maps where the EV transition stands today, identifies the divergences that will define the next phase, and points to where the strategic decisions for operators, OEMs, and policymakers are sharpest.
1 in 4 new vehicles sold globally in 2025 was an EV. Asia-Pacific exceeded 40% sales penetration and Europe approacheding 30%, while sales in North America lost ground.
China sets the tempo. Its EV sales penetration crossed the 50% mark in 2025, while China is reshaping global competitive dynamics through its OEMs, battery cost curve, and growing presence across Europe and Southeast Asia.
Ultra-fast charging (150 kW+) is growing rapidly. In Europe, for example, more than half of all fast charge points are now ultra-fast capable, up from around 25% five years ago.
Diverging markets, shifting infrastructure
Global EV sales grew by more than 20% in 2025. Asia-Pacific and Europe were at the forefront, with China crossing the 50% EV sales penetration threshold and Europe recovering strongly after a sluggish 2024. But the regional picture is sharply divided: North America and Japan moved in the opposite direction, with EV sales share falling below 2024 levels. Chinese OEMs continue to reshape global dynamics with affordable, accessible, and increasingly high-performance, EVs, accelerating adoption in new markets, and fueling a surprising rebound in European PHEV sales through their exemption from EU BEV tariffs.
On infrastructure, approximately 1.1 million new public charge points were added in 2025, slightly fewer than in prior years. This reflects maturation in leading markets rather than retreat, as the focus moves from network buildout to network performance. The more consequential trend is the accelerating shift toward fast and ultra-fast charging (150 kW+), driven by consistent user demand and growing commercial viability. Yet a gap is opening up: Western Europe, for example, currently averages around 45 BEVs per fast charge point, well below the level that is expected to be sustainable in the longer term of more than 100:1. That gap represents both a significant commercial opportunity and a coordinated infrastructure challenge for the years ahead.
Regional Insights
Americas
The Americas proved a challenging region for EV adoption in 2025. Total EV sales held flat at around 2 million vehicles, weighed down by policy uncertainty, import tariff dynamics, and softer consumer confidence. The region accounts for a significantly lower share of global EV sales than its vehicle market size would suggest, and the fast-charging infrastructure gap relative to other regions remains substantial.
United States: EV sales share declined below 2024 levels, reflecting policy headwinds at the federal level and cautious consumer sentiment. Charge point additions nonetheless accelerated, as operators worked to address well-documented gaps in public charging coverage.
Canada: Mirrored the US trend, with EV sales share declining year-on-year amid regulatory uncertainty.
Brazil: A nascent but structurally significant market, with EV adoption at early stages relative to the country's vehicle parc size. Growing Chinese OEM presence is beginning to shift the model availability picture.
Mexico: EV penetration remains low, though proximity to US manufacturing and evolving trade dynamics are factors that will influence the pace of adoption in the coming years.
Europe
Europe was the standout recovery story of 2025, with EV sales rising by a third to 3.7 million vehicles after a sluggish 2024. EV penetration approached 30% across the region, gaining around seven percentage points year-on-year. Germany was a major contributor to this: after drastic policy changes, its EV sales share fell from 29% in 2022 to 19% in 2024, before climbing again to 28% in 2025. Chinese OEMs also played a significant and growing role, particularly in the PHEV segment, where they were not subject to the EU's additional anti-subsidy tariffs that apply to Chinese BEV imports. Infrastructure investment continued, with a clear shift toward fast and ultra-fast charging.
Norway: EV sales penetration reached approximately 89% – the highest of any country in the world. More than one in three vehicles on the road is now electric. High home charging access reduces reliance on public slow-charging networks; over 25% of public charge points are fast.
Sweden: Approximately three in five new cars and vans sold were electric in 2025, placing Sweden among the global leaders in EV sales penetration. Fast charging share of public infrastructure exceeds 25%.
Netherlands: Around three in five new vehicles were EVs, and the Netherlands crossed the 10% EV parc penetration mark in 2025. Notably, only around 5% of Dutch public charge points are fast, reflecting its early and extensive rollout of AC slow-charging networks and grid constraints limiting higher-power deployment.
Belgium: Crossed the 10% EV parc penetration mark. PHEV sales share declined following the withdrawal of PHEV-specific tax incentives.
Germany: One of Europe's largest EV markets by volume, has seen its EV sales penetration swing sharply on policy changes – from 29% in 2022 to 19% in 2024, before rebounding to 28% in 2025. The country retains a broad OEM base and a growing fast-charging network.
France: PHEV sales share declined following policy adjustments, while BEV adoption continued to grow. Chinese OEMs are gaining ground.
United Kingdom: Fast charging share of public infrastructure exceeds 25%, reflecting deliberate network investment priorities. A significant and growing EV market.
Spain: Fast charge share of public infrastructure exceeds 25%. Growing EV sales momentum supported by policy and expanding model availability.
Portugal: Fast charging share exceeds 25%, and EV adoption is accelerating.
Poland: Fast charging share exceeds 25%. Eastern Europe's largest EV market by population, with deployment accelerating.
Austria: A mid-size European EV market with steady growth and a maturing charging network.
Switzerland: Strong EV adoption rates driven by high income levels and supportive cantonal policies.
Italy: EV penetration remains below the Western European average but is gaining momentum.
Hungary: A growing Eastern European EV market, with public charge point rollout accelerating.
Romania: EV adoption remains at an early stage, but public infrastructure deployment is picking up pace in line with the broader Eastern European trend.
MENA
The MENA region remains a small EV market in absolute terms, but 2025 marked a year of significant acceleration, with overall EV sales growing by around 50%. Market development is uneven across countries, with Turkey standing out as the most dynamic market in the region.
Qatar: A small but high-income market where EV penetration is beginning to grow, supported by luxury vehicle demand and urban density.
Saudi Arabia: EV adoption is at an early stage but gaining momentum, driven by Vision 2030 mobility ambitions and growing OEM interest in the market.
United Arab Emirates: One of the most advanced EV markets in the GCC region, supported by infrastructure investment in major urban centers and a high-income consumer base.
Turkey: Posted strong EV growth in 2025, driven by domestic brand Togg alongside Tesla and BYD, which have all made significant market pushes. Turkey is reshaping MENA's EV competitive landscape.
Morocco: Among the more nascent EV markets in MENA, though growing, supported by its geographic proximity to Europe and emerging role as an automotive manufacturing hub.
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific remained the engine of global EV growth in 2025, reaching nearly 15 million new EV sales – a 21% increase year-on-year. EV penetration exceeded 40% across the region. China dominates in volume and sets the pace on technology, cost, and policy, while Southeast Asian markets are accelerating rapidly. Japan moved in the opposite direction.
China: Crossed the 50% EV sales penetration threshold in 2025. China accounts for 92% of APAC EV sales, while 13% of cars on the road in China is now an EV. Its public charging network is approaching 50% fast-charge share, and Chinese OEMs are reshaping global competitive dynamics.
Japan: EV sales share declined from 3% to 2% in 2025, reflecting a combination of consumer hesitancy, limited domestic BEV model range, and policy uncertainty.
South Korea: A significant automotive manufacturing nation with a growing domestic EV market and a competitive OEM landscape as well as a large and relatively advanced public charging network.
Australia: EV adoption is accelerating from a relatively low base, supported by growing model availability and emerging state-level policy frameworks.
India: EV penetration remains low relative to the country's vehicle market size, but the scale of the opportunity is substantial. Two-wheelers dominate EV sales; passenger car BEV adoption is at an early stage.
Indonesia: Southeast Asia's largest economy is an emerging EV market, with Chinese OEMs driving model availability and the government supporting adoption through policy incentives.
Malaysia: EV adoption is accelerating, supported by new model launches and government incentives. Chinese OEM presence is growing.
Thailand: One of the most dynamic EV markets in Southeast Asia, with BEV sales penetration rising rapidly in recent years driven by Chinese OEMs and government support.
Vietnam: A fast-growing market where domestic manufacturer VinFast and Chinese OEMs are both active, with EV adoption rising from a low base.
Singapore: A high-income, urban market with strong EV adoption rates and a focus on smart charging infrastructure, though constrained in volume by its small vehicle parc.
FAQ
Why did charge point additions slow in 2025?
Leading markets are reaching critical mass in their initial network rollout phases. The focus is shifting from buildout to utilization and fast-charging quality.
What is the fast-charging gap?
The gap between current and economically sustainable utilization rates of fast chargers. Western Europe, for example, averages around 45 BEVs per fast charge point today. A sustainable ratio in the region is expected to exceed 100 in the mid- to longer-term.
What was behind Europe’s rising PHEV sales?
Chinese OEMs – exempt from EU BEV anti-subsidy tariffs – captured roughly 20% of European PHEV sales in 2025, reversing a multi-year decline. The gains reflect two factors: PHEVs offer a more familiar step for conservative buyers hesistant to go full-BEV, and both Western and Chinese OEMs pushing the format harder in response.
Why did North America underperform?
Policy headwinds and softer consumer confidence pushed EV sales share below 2024 levels in the US and Canada.
What is driving ultra-fast charging growth?
Consistent user demand for faster charging, combined with commercial viability as BEV parc density increases.
What role are Chinese OEMs playing globally?
They are driving down costs, expanding model ranges in new markets, and reshaping competition especially across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Turkey.
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