By the end of July, the market for new electric cars in Ukraine accounted for 11.1% of the total sales of new cars. This is the only segment of the car market that is growing this year (by 3.3 times, or plus 229%) against the background of the overall decline of the market by 61% during the last year. This data was provided by the AUTO-Consulting company.
In July, the Volkswagen ID.4 became the best-selling electric car, with a market share of around 30%. The Chinese DongFeng X-NV (M-NV) with 13.3% was second-best. The last one among the top 3 was the Audi e-tron, with an 8.3% share. This Audi model is the best-selling electric car among the models officially presented in our country. Other popular ones are the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the BMW iX3, and the BMW iX.
In July, Kyiv and the Kyiv region accounted for half of all electric cars sold in Ukraine. Another 10% were sold in the Odesa region and 7.7% in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the first half of the year, new electric cars accounted for 7% of all sales categories, compared to around 1% a year ago. In May, the share of electric cars hit 15%.
A year ago, the number of used electric cars was 8 times the number of new ones, while this year it’s only twice as large. The number of electric cars sold with a mileage reduced by 11% versus the previous year.
What electric cars Ukrainians chose
When buying new or used electric cars, buyers prefer different brands, AUTO-Consulting notes.
Among new cars, top positions are occupied by Volkswagen models (23% of the market, mainly the ID.4, the electric e-Golf, and the E-Lavida from the Chinese market), DongFeng (15%), Hyundai (12%), BMW (9%), and Nissan (8.9%).
Among used cars, models by Nissan (26%), Tesla (21.5%), Volkswagen (12.6%), Renault (11%), and Chevrolet (5.4%) have taken the lead.
Speaking of the total supply of electric cars, both new and used ones, into the Ukrainian market, the Nissan Leaf remained the most popular model in the first half of the year, with almost 800 cars sold (minus 18% in annual terms). The Tesla Model 3 comes in second (321 cars, minus 9%). Volkswagen has two best-selling models, the e-Golf and the ID.4, which have significantly increased their share. The DongFeng X-NV (M-NV) supplied from China by independent dealers is also among the leaders. In the first half of the year, almost 200 of them have been sold.
The total fleet of electric cars in Ukraine has increased by 4,200, or 12.5%, in the first half of the year and now amounts to 37,900.
The most popular electric car brands in Ukraine are still Nissan (41%), Tesla (15%), and Renault (8%). The logos of VW, Chevrolet, BMW, Hyundai, and Fiat mark 1,000 or more cars each. Collectively, these brands account for 85% of the Ukrainian electric car fleet.
Which electric cars are most popular globally?
Global registrations of plug-in electric cars, both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), have increased by 54% in June 2022 as compared to June 2021, totalling 913 thousand. This data was provided by CleanTechnica. In September, sales are expected to exceed 1 million cars.
In June, plug-in cars accounted for 16% of the total car market, with BEVs hitting 12%. It’s the first time that the percentage of BEVs is a two-digit number.
At the same time, plugless hybrids (HEVs) have been down for the third month in a row. Peak sales of HEVs are expected to occur in 2022, with 2023 being the start of their decline.
In June, BEVs (+65%) grew faster than PHEVs (+29%).
Among individual models, the Tesla Model Y returned to the leadership position with a record result of around 98,000 cars sold.
The Tesla Model 3 holds the second place with over 53,000 registrations, a somewhat low result that can be explained by the lockdown in their Chinese plant, which lasted for almost a quarter. The Wuling Mini EV was third with 46,000 registrations.
The 4th to 7th places in the top 20 are occupied by the leading supplier, BYD, as well as the 11th and 18th.
Outside the top 20, the Peugeot e-208 (5,765 registrations) and its cousin, the Fiat 500e (7,338 units), hit record sales. The two Stellantis players are quickly approaching the top 20.
The year’s best-performing model was the VW ID.3 (7,044 registrations). It is surely looking to return to the five-digit performances of last year.
SAIC’s MG eZS EV getting a record 6,376 registrations and its MG eHS PHEV sibling getting a record performance of 7,318 registrations also deserve attention. Dongfeng’s Fengshen E-Series did well as well, with a record 7,536 registrations, mostly sold to taxi companies.