South Africa’s fully electric vehicle (EV) market is showing strong signs of growth, with new quarterly figures from Naamsa – the Automotive Business Council revealing that battery electric vehicle sales almost doubled during the first quarter of 2026.
According to the latest quarter review from Naamsa, full electric vehicles represented a 96% year-on-year increase over the same period in 2025. Building on these recent market developments, The Electric Mission further assessed the overall market growth of electric vehicles in the country.
“Our findings are that South Africa has stock of 7 940 passenger EVs , 562 commercial trucks and 134 commercial passenger battery electric vehicles in South Africa, saving private car owners, fleets and businesses hundreds of thousands of rands in running and maintenance costs.” said Hiten Parmar, Executive Director of Electric Mission.
“The near doubling of fully electric vehicle sales shows that South Africans are responding to economic realities. Consumers are seeing how volatile petrol and diesel prices have become, while electricity costs remain comparatively predictable. Combined with over a year of electricity stability and growing public charging infrastructure, the market is beginning to understand that EVs make the most financial sense,” he noted.
The growth comes as South African motorists continue to feel the pressure of rising petrol and diesel prices, largely driven by global oil market instability and ongoing geopolitical conflict affecting energy markets.
As fuel prices surge, many consumers and businesses are increasingly recognising the long-term financial benefits of switching to electric mobility. EVs are proving significantly cheaper to run and maintain compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, particularly as electricity prices have remained more stable than those of petrol and diesel.
The drastically improved reliability of South Africa’s electricity supply is also helping shift public perceptions around EV ownership. The country has now experienced over 365 days without loadshedding, easing one of the major concerns consumers previously had about EVs.
The latest figures show that South Africans are beginning to see EVs as a practical and viable mobility solution rather than a niche technology.
The latest EV sales momentum was also reflected during the recent webinar on the State of the EV Industry, where industry champions discussed the opportunities and risks facing the country’s transition to electric mobility.
Discussions during the webinar echoed findings from the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2026 report, which predicts that by the end of this year, almost 30% of new vehicles sold globally will be electric.
Locally, if EV sales continue at the 500 a quarter pace, by the end of the year, we anticipate more than doubling last year’s total of our national reporting.
While the EV sales are encouraging, South Africa risks falling behind other African nations if the South African government does not urgently introduce supply side policies and incentives.
On a demand side approach, Kenya recently announced that the first 100 000 electric vehicles to be manufactured in the country will be exempt from taxation in an effort to accelerate EV adoption as a motive to attract investment into the sector.
The move is a major strategic signal that African countries are beginning to compete aggressively for leadership in the emerging electric mobility economy.
Parmar warned that South Africa cannot afford policy delays while the rest of the continent moves forward.
“As Morocco dethroned South Africa as the continent’s largest vehicle producer early in 2026, South Africa risks losing future automotive manufacturing investment to more other African countries,” he said.
“The danger is the potential loss of thousands of future manufacturing and supply chain jobs that could migrate to countries creating more attractive environments for electric vehicle investments.”
Looking to South Africa’s most significant export market, the latest sales figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association confirms that from January to April this year, battery electric vehicles already captured 19.7% market share of the European Union in the lead to 2035 readiness for zero emission vehicles sales in the region. If the local automotive manufacturing industry aims to remain relevant and protect employment, bold interventions are critical immediately.
Countries that position themselves early with supportive policy frameworks of supply side and infrastructure are likely to secure the critical next generation of automotive and component investments.
The latest market figures indicate that consumer interest in electric mobility is strengthening despite perceived barriers to market adoption.
With global EV adoption accelerating and African nations increasingly competing for investment and industrial leadership, the coming years will be critical in determining the continent’s automotive leader in the electric era.