Sales of BMW fully electric models fall in the first half of 2026

BMW has presented its delivery figures for the first half of the year, which show a picture similar to that of other German manufacturers: a clear impact from the decline in the Chinese market, partially offset by a better performance in Europe, especially in electric vehicles.

The BMW group as a whole delivered 204,295 fully electric vehicles between January and June, representing a decrease of 7.4 percent compared with the same period last year. However, the second quarter showed signs of recovery, with sales of 116,807 fully electric vehicles. This is 5.2 percent more than in the same quarter of 2025. This rebound is mainly attributed to the launch of the new BMW iX3, which has been very well received.

Europe was the engine of this growth. In the second quarter, sales of fully electric models on the Bavarian company’s home continent reached 81,445 units, a strong increase of 38 percent. In Germany alone, BMW ranked second in battery-electric vehicle registrations. Of the 116,807 electric units delivered globally in the second quarter, more than 81,000 were in Europe, leaving just 35,362 units distributed across the rest of the world. This confirms that the declines in China -and possibly in other markets- were significant and explain the negative balance for the half-year.

BMW leader among German brands in the race toward electrification

If we look exclusively at electrified vehicles -fully electric plus plug-in hybrids-, BMW delivered 295,407 units in the first half of the year, 7.4 percent fewer. Within this figure, PHEVs accounted for 91,112 units. It is also worth noting that 17.6 percent of all passenger cars sold by BMW in this period were fully electric. Adding plug-in hybrids, one in four vehicles -25.5 percent- had a plug. This percentage is notably higher than that of its German competitors: Volkswagen stands at around 10.6 percent and Mercedes-Benz at close to 13 percent.

As for total passenger car sales, the group delivered 1.156 million vehicles, 4.2 percent fewer than in the first half of 2025. The main drag was, once again, China, where sales fell 20.4 percent. But that was not the worst of it, as in the second quarter the decline in that market was even greater, reaching 30 percent. On the other hand, Europe grew by around 5.4 percent and the United States by 3.9 percent.

By brand, BMW fell 6.2 percent globally, with moderate gains in Europe and the United States that did not offset losses in China. MINI, by contrast, grew 11.7 percent to 149,538 units, its sixth consecutive quarter of growth, driven especially by its fully electric models. Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, delivered 2,523 vehicles, 9.8 percent fewer. Meanwhile, the BMW Motorrad motorcycle division sold 102,847 units, 2.9 percent fewer.