The EV leapfrog - how emerging markets are driving a global EV boom

The report 'The EV leapfrog' by Ember analyzes global electric vehicle (EV) trends in 2025, highlighting how emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America are rapidly increasing EV adoption and overtaking advanced economies like the US and Japan in sales shares.

• Global EV adoption has accelerated significantly, with EVs accounting for over a quarter of new car sales between January and October 2025, compared to less than 3% in 2019. By 2025, 39 countries reached an EV sales share exceeding 10%, with 12 of these located outside Europe.
• China continues to dominate the global market, on track to represent nearly two-thirds of global EV sales for the second consecutive year and set to exceed a 50% EV sales share for the first time in 2025.
• Several ASEAN nations are leading in EV penetration, with Singapore and Viet Nam both exceeding 40% EV sales shares in 2025, surpassing the UK (33%) and the EU (26%). Thailand has also exceeded a 20% EV sales share for the first time.
• Emerging markets are surpassing advanced economies in EV sales shares; Indonesia's share reached 15% in 2025, overtaking the US, while India, Mexico, and Brazil have higher shares than Japan, where the share has remained around 3% since 2022.
• In Latin America, Uruguay has reached a 27% EV sales share, and Costa Rica has reached 17% so far in 2025. Brazil and Colombia are approaching a 10% sales share.
• Strategic policies are driving adoption in emerging markets, such as Ethiopia's 2024 ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle imports, which contributed to a 60% EV sales share that year. In Nepal, EVs made up 76% of new car sales in 2024.
• Chinese EV exports are increasingly targeting non-OECD markets, with the value of these exports nearly tripling since July 2023 (an increase of $16.2bn). Top destinations in 2025 include Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and the UAE.
• EVs significantly reduce fossil fuel demand due to higher efficiency. In Brazil, BEVs provide an estimated 90% reduction in fossil fuel demand compared to ICE vehicles; in Indonesia, the reduction is close to 50% despite a fossil-heavy electricity mix.

APA

Graham, E. (2025). The EV leapfrog - how emerging markets are driving a global EV boom. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/12/The-EV-leapfrog-PDF.pdf

Chicago

Graham, Euan. The EV leapfrog - how emerging markets are driving a global EV boom. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/12/The-EV-leapfrog-PDF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Graham |first1=Euan |title=The EV leapfrog - how emerging markets are driving a global EV boom |publisher=Ember |date=16 December 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/12/The-EV-leapfrog-PDF.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{graham2025leapfrog, author = {Graham, Euan}, title = {{The EV leapfrog - how emerging markets are driving a global EV boom}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/12/The-EV-leapfrog-PDF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }