Investing.com -- Global battery electric vehicle sales reached 1,228,773 units in April 2026, up 16% compared to the same month last year, according to Morgan Stanley's Global EV Tracker. The figure represents a 7% decline from March 2026, when sales totaled 1,320,686 units.

BYD led global BEV manufacturers with 163,100 units sold in April, followed by Tesla with 98,400 units and Geely with 80,600 units. The Tesla Model Y was the top-selling BEV model globally with 70,600 units, while unspecified light commercial vehicles recorded 58,700 sales.

Tesla held 8.0% of the global BEV market in April 2026, compared to 13.8% in March and 7.7% in April 2025. In the U.S. market, Tesla's share stood at 45.0% in April, up from 40.0% the previous year. Motor Intelligence reported Tesla's U.S. BEV market share increased to 46.9% in May 2026 from 45.2% in May 2025.

Regional sales showed mixed results. U.S. BEV sales fell 19% year-over-year to 75,349 units in April 2026, with market penetration at 5.5% compared to 6.3% in April 2025. European BEV sales rose 38% to 298,203 units, with penetration reaching 25.9% versus 20.0% the prior year. China BEV sales decreased 1% to 642,317 units, with penetration at 30.1% compared to 28.9% in April 2025.

Ford sold 3,700 Mustang Mach-E units and 1,575 F-150 Lightning units globally in April. The Mustang Mach-E ranked as the sixth highest-selling BEV model in the U.S. market during April. Ford E-Transit sales increased 77% year-over-year to approximately 2,700 units globally.

General Motors reported 54,679 global BEV sales in April 2026, down 45% year-over-year. Excluding China joint ventures and the Wuling HongGuang Mini, GM sold 10,800 EVs in the U.S.

Battery deployment totaled 74,134 MWh in April 2026, up 17% from 63,202 MWh in April 2025. LFP chemistry accounted for 48% of deployments, while NMC represented 43% and NCA made up 5%.