BMW’s EV Sales Are Growing Again. Europe Is Doing the Heavy Lifting

BMW Group reported a 7.2% year-over-year increase in fully electric vehicle deliveries for the third quarter, driven primarily by strong performance in the European market. However, this growth was accompanied by a significant decline in plug-in hybrid sales and a continued drop in electric deliveries outside of Europe.

What Happened

The BMW Group delivered 110,257 fully electric vehicles in Q3, up 7.2% from the same period a year earlier. This figure includes vehicles from the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands. Conversely, plug-in hybrid deliveries fell approximately 16.2% to 40,538 units. Combined, the two electric categories accounted for 150,795 deliveries, a slight decrease of 0.3% year-over-year. While Q3 EV numbers showed recovery, they remained lower than the 116,807 units delivered in Q2. Year-to-date through September, BMW’s electric deliveries totaled 314,552, down 2.7% compared to the same period in 2025.

Europe was the primary engine of this growth, with 81,941 EVs delivered in the region, a 37.5% increase from last year. Fully electric models now make up 34.7% of BMW’s regional deliveries in Europe. Excluding Europe, global EV deliveries dropped to 28,316, representing an approximate 34.5% decline year-over-year. The iX3 crossover, which debuted in Europe in March, has surpassed 100,000 orders in the region, marking it as BMW’s most successful model launch to date.

Why It Matters

The disparity between European and global performance highlights the uneven nature of the EV transition for legacy automakers. For BMW, Europe is currently the only region where electric vehicle adoption is accelerating sufficiently to offset declines in key markets like China and the United States. One in five new BMW Group vehicles delivered in Q3 was fully electric, a notable statistic given that the group’s overall quarterly sales fell by 6.3%. This suggests that while the broader business is shrinking, the electric segment is gaining relative share, albeit with heavy geographic concentration.

BMW is attempting to broaden its electric lineup to stabilize this growth. The iX3 sedan sibling, the new i3, is scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealerships early next year, with a Touring wagon variant also confirmed. The iX4, a coupe-like crossover based on the iX3 platform, is planned for an American launch in March 2027, followed by the larger iX5 in the first quarter of 2027. Additionally, BMW plans to introduce an entry-level Neue Klasse EV in 2028 to compete in the affordable segment, though specific pricing has not been announced.

The Bottom Line

BMW’s Q3 results indicate that its electric vehicle recovery is real but geographically fragile. With nearly three-quarters of its EV deliveries coming from Europe, the company’s global electric strategy remains heavily dependent on regional market dynamics. The upcoming launches of the i3, iX4, and iX5 in the U.S. will be critical tests of whether BMW can translate its European success into a worldwide recovery.