Green car sales in Korea top 200,000 from Jan-Sep, one out of six cars on the road

The number of eco-friendly vehicles sold in South Korea broke a milestone of 200,000 as of September, representing about 15 percent of all newly registered four-wheels in the country so far this year largely thanks to big government subsidies and expanded charging infrastructure.

According to data compiled by local market tracker CarIsYou Data Research Center, the total number of eco-friendly cars sold in Korea from January to September came to 202,536 units. The number accounted for 15.2 percent of all newly registered four-wheels this year, up 4.7 percentage points from last year and the highest share since EVs first hit the road in the country in 2013. The country’s green car sales count crossed the 100,000 mark first time in May last year.

Sales of hybrids and EVs came to 133,513 and 69,023 units as of end-September, respectively, surging 31.5 percent and 94 percent on year.

The most popular EV brand was Hyundai Motor that sold 76,786 units, followed by Kia with 73,533 units. Imported brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volvo recorded a combined sales of around 10,000 units.

Sales growth is expected to accelerate in the coming months as automakers are poised to release new EV models in the fourth quarter.

The surge in EV car sales is largely attributed to the generous state subsidy policies for green cars and increased investments from auto companies to build more charging stations, market analysts said.

The number of EVs recalled, meanwhile, totaled 90,746 units last year according to Motor Vehicle Recall Center operated by the Ministry of Land and Transport, a seven-fold increase from 13,024 in 2019.

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