As EV penetration approaches one in four globally, the gap between leaders and laggards is hardening into a structural divide<\/p>\n
Global electric vehicle (EV) sales reached one in four new cars sold in 2025, but the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds a deepening divide between automakers accelerating electrification and those hedging on commitments in its fourth annual Global Automaker Rating. Tesla and BYD lead as the only all-electric automakers in the rating.<\/p>\n
BYD surpassed Tesla in global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales for a second consecutive year; SAIC and Geely each reached EV sales shares of at least 50%, outperforming their targets ahead of schedule, though plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) dominated Chinese EV totals. Stellantis, Honda and General Motors (GM) each recorded sharp rating declines driven by downward revisions to their 2030 EV targets. Hyundai-Kia was the only automaker to advance a rating category, moving from \u2018laggard\u2019 to \u2018transitioner\u2019.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Irem Kok, ICCT senior researcher and report co-author, said: \u201cThe rating shows a growing gap between the frontrunners who are expanding their global EV offerings to reach new markets and those still wavering on their electric commitments. The window for some legacy automakers to catch up is narrowing, particularly as their long-term investments for electrification are shrinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel Muncrief, Acting Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the ICCT, added: \u201cWe see from the data that most US- and Japan-based automakers continued to offer electric models in fewer than a third of the vehicle segments analysed. Legacy automakers risk ceding their leadership in major markets where they historically dominate if they fail to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n