EV sales in Korea show signs of recovery in H1

(Hyundai Motor Group)

Electric vehicle (EV) sales in South Korea jumped 2.5 times in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year, raising expectations about market recovery.

Hyundai Motor Group said on Sunday that Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. sold a total of 631,323 vehicles in the Korean market in the first half of 2025. Of these, EV sales, excluding commercial vehicles, totaled 47,457 units, accounting for 7.5 percent of total sales. This is a 155 percent increase from the 18,645 units sold in the first half of 2024.

Other automakers also saw a rise in EV sales share. Of KGM’s 18,321 domestic sales in the first half of the year, 4,103 units were EVs - a 22.4 percent share, surpassing both the 3,907 units and 16.3 percent share recorded in the same period last year.

The same trend was observed among imported cars. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), EVs accounted for 23.5 percent of newly registered imported cars in the first half of this year, up from 21.5 percent in the same period during the previous year.

This strong EV performance is attributed to the impact of new model launches.

Kia began selling its first electric sedan, the EV4, selling 3,277 units in the first half of 2025. The small electric SUV EV3, launched in July 2024, sold 12,525 units in the same period.

Hyundai launched its large electric SUV, the IONIQ9, in February. The Casper Electric, priced in the low to mid-20 million won ($14,386) range after subsidies and which was launched in August 2024, sold 4,522 units in the first half of 2025.

KGM added the Musso EV this year, following the launch of the Torres EVX in November 2023, further boosting sales. The release of new EVs also appears to have stimulated interest in existing models.

Among imports, the Tesla Model Y, Juniper, has been a clear standout. Since its May debut as a facelifted version of the Model Y, it has dominated the imported EV market, selling 4,961 units in May, 3,281 in June, and 6,559 in July - maintaining its position as the best-selling imported model.

Automakers are preparing a wave of EV launches in the second half of the year. Renault Korea will resume EV sales, which had virtually been halted, with the launch of its all-electric Scenic in August 2025.

Hyundai rolled out the new IONIQ6 last month, offering a range of 562 kilometers per charge.

Imported brands also have a strong EV lineup coming - BMW Korea recently unveiled the all-electric BMW New iX and plans to release a facelifted BMW iX M70 in the second half.

Audi Korea will introduce the Audi A6 e-tron and facelifted RS e-tron GT during the same period.

“The arrival of BYD in 2025 prompted other brands to release affordable new EVs, which, combined with the new model effect, has boosted sales,” Kim Pil-soo, an automotive technology professor at Daelim University College, said. “However, due to issues like charging infrastructure, it is still too early to say we have fully closed the chasm. The key will be whether upcoming EV launches in the second half of the year can continue driving sales.”