Slashdot has reported:

Gasoline-only vehicles made up 49 per cent of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, falling below half for the first time on record. Their share was 73 per cent in 2021 and 52 per cent in the first half of 2025, according to Mobility Global data first reported by Nikkei and cited by Electrek.

Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 17 per cent of sales, or 6.87 million units, after growing 12 per cent. Conventional hybrids sold 7.27 million units, up 10 per cent, and captured 18 per cent of the market, meaning they outsold battery-electric vehicles during the period. Diesel vehicles, plug-in hybrids and several smaller fuel categories made up the remaining share.

Only battery-electric vehicles operate without burning fuel. As a result, about 83 per cent of new vehicles sold worldwide in the first half of 2026 still had an engine and used fuel. The figures show a shift away from gasoline-only cars, while many of the vehicles replacing them continue to include a gas tank.

Nikkei linked the change to rising oil prices after conflict in the Middle East drove fuel costs higher, prompting buyers to seek lower running costs. The overall car market contracted by about 5 per cent in the first half, according to the International Energy Agency, while gasoline-only sales fell twice as fast as the market.

Gasoline-only sales dropped most sharply in China, declining 26 per cent, followed by a 13 per cent fall in Europe. Mobility Global recorded battery-electric sales growth of 32 per cent in Europe, to 1.81 million vehicles, and 81 per cent in Southeast Asia, to 350,000. Sales more than doubled in Oceania, reaching 110,000.

Yoshiaki Kawano, an associate director at Mobility Global, told Nikkei that few electric-vehicle buyers return to gasoline cars or hybrids. He expects demand based on “genuine consumer needs rather than subsidies” to grow as prices come down.

In the United States, hybrid sales increased 23 per cent, reaching a record 16.3 per cent of vehicles sold in the second quarter of 2026, while the share of internal-combustion-engine vehicles fell. The source characterized claims that electric-vehicle sales are down or growth has stalled as accurate for the United States, but not for the rest of the world, where it said the transition to electric vehicles continues without slowing.

The source also noted that gasoline was last not the leading vehicle power source in the early 1900s, when steam and electric cars outsold gasoline vehicles in the United States. Mobility Global’s figures show gasoline-only cars losing market share over less than five years, with no indication in the data that they are regaining it.