Honestly, if you’ve been scrolling through news feeds lately, you’d think the electric vehicle dream was dying. Headlines about "EV cooling" and "sales slumps" are everywhere. But here is the thing: the actual data for the ev market news today 2025 tells a completely different story. It is not a collapse. It is a massive, messy, and fascinating reshuffling of the deck.
While the U.S. market is currently hitting some serious speed bumps, global sales actually topped 20.7 million units by the end of 2025. That is a 20% jump from the previous year. If you feel like that doesn’t match what you’re hearing at the water cooler, you aren't crazy. The reality of the electric transition is now split into two different worlds: the booming progress in China and Europe, and the policy-driven chaos happening in North America.
The Massive Divergence in EV Market News Today 2025
The biggest mistake people make right now is looking at the U.S. and assuming it represents the rest of the planet. It doesn’t. Not even close.
In China, the "price war" basically became a permanent state of existence. BYD and its rivals have pushed prices so low that one in every four cars sold globally is now an EV, largely thanks to their sheer volume. Over in Europe, despite everyone complaining about high energy costs, sales actually surged by 33% in 2025. Why? Because the 2025 EU emission standards finally kicked in, and manufacturers like Volkswagen and Renault had to move units or face massive fines.
A Tale of Two Charts
- China: 12.9 million units sold (+17% growth).
- Europe: 4.3 million units sold (+33% growth).
- North America: 1.8 million units sold (-4% decline).
That last number is the kicker. For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. market actually shrank. We can point fingers at the 2025 repeal of federal tax credits or the general "EV fatigue," but the result is that American legacy brands like GM and Ford are currently taking massive "right-sizing" charges. GM, for instance, had to book a $7.6 billion charge for 2025 just to pivot away from aggressive BEV targets that the market simply didn't meet.
What's Actually Happening with Charging Infrastructure?
We’ve all heard the horror stories. A broken charger in a Walmart parking lot. A 40-minute wait just to get a 20% boost. It's frustrating. But 2025 saw a weird "reboot" of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
👉 See also: 1 MXN to USD Exchange Rate: Why the Super Peso is Changing Everything
After a lot of red tape and a full guidance update in August 2025, states finally started unfreezing those federal funds. We’re finally seeing the "Alternative Fuel Corridors" take shape. Oregon and Washington, for example, have been opening new stations at a clip we haven't seen before. By the start of 2026, the U.S. hit a milestone of over 250,000 public charging ports.
It's still not enough, but the tech is changing. We are moving away from the "hope it works" era into the "AI-managed" era. Companies like Driivz and Electrify America are using AI now to predict when a charger is about to fail before it actually dies. Plus, the shift to the NACS (Tesla) plug is basically complete for new models, which is making life a lot less stressful for non-Tesla owners.
The Tech Everyone is Watching: Solid-State and Beyond
If you’re waiting for the "iPhone moment" of batteries, it sorta happened—but maybe not for cars yet. At CES in early 2026, a Finnish company called Donut Lab actually debuted a production-ready solid-state battery.
💡 You might also like: Gold Royalty Corp Stock Explained (Simply): Why This Junior Player Is Finally Catching Eyes
They’re claiming a 595km range with a 10-minute charge. The catch? It’s going into motorcycles first. Verge Motorcycles is the pioneer here. For cars, companies like QuantumScape are still aiming for 2029 for full-scale commercialization. We are in that awkward middle phase where lithium-ion is getting cheaper, but the "holy grail" solid-state tech is still just out of reach for your average SUV.
Why 2026 Looks Like a "Wild Card" Year
So, where does this leave you? If you’re looking at ev market news today 2025, you have to look at the trade wars. The EU and China just reached a "soft landing" agreement in January 2026 regarding those massive tariffs. Instead of flat 35% taxes, they’re looking at minimum price floors. This means Chinese EVs won't be "dirt cheap" in London or Paris, but they will still be available.
In the U.S., the story is all about the USMCA renegotiations. With 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, the American market is essentially a fortress. This is great for protecting local jobs, but it's also keeping EV prices higher than they are anywhere else in the world.
🔗 Read more: Why the Dead Horse Theory Is the Reality Check Your Business Needs Right Now
Real-World Actionable Insights for 2026
- The Used Market is the Real Winner: Because so many 2022-2023 leases are ending, the used EV market is flooded. You can pick up a three-year-old Model 3 or Hyundai Ioniq 5 for nearly 50% less than a new one.
- Hybrids are the Safety Net: Even Stellantis is pivoting. They delayed the all-electric RAM pickup to late 2026 and are pushing "Ramcharger" EREVs (Extended Range Electric Vehicles) instead. If you have range anxiety, the 2026 market is going to be dominated by these "best of both worlds" models.
- Watch the 800-Volt Architecture: If you’re buying new, don't settle for 400V. Models like the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Audi A6 e-tron are standardizing 800V, which lets you charge from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes. Anything slower is going to feel like a dinosaur by 2028.
The transition isn't stopping; it’s just losing its "early adopter" sheen. It's becoming a boring, standard part of the car business, full of trade disputes and manufacturing tweaks. And honestly? That's probably a good thing for the average driver.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should track the specific state-level rebates that are replacing the old federal credits. Many states like Colorado and California are doubling down on local incentives even as the national landscape shifts. If you are planning a purchase, focus on models with NACS native ports to avoid the "dongle life" that plagued the early 2020s.