Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in South Korea surged by over 48% to 142,456 units in the first eight months of 2025, compared with 95,998 units in the same period of last year, to account for almost 13% of total vehicle sales in the country – according to data released by the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA).
BEV sales in August amounted to 23,740 units, as the market continued to rebound from a prolonged downturn, driven by the availability of new models, improved safety standards, government incentives, and rising price competition. Average monthly sales have reached 17,800 this year, up from 12,240 units in 2024 – when the market reached 146,883 units over the full year.
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Domestic automakers reported a combined 86,777 local BEV sales in the January-August period, accounting for almost 61% of segment sales, while imported models slightly outperformed with 55,679 units – driven by a 69% increase in sales of Chinese-made models to 42,932 units. This includes a 55% increase in sales of Shanghai-made Teslas to 34,543 units, according to separate industry data. Sales of Tesla’s new Model Y, launched in May, amounted to 28,000 units year-to-date, while BYD has sold just under 2,000 units since entering the market earlier this year. Popular domestic models include the Kia EV3 and Ray EV, and Hyundai’s Casper Electric.
Even with this year’s sharp increase, the South Korean BEV market remains way off the government’s 2030 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC). KAMA’s chairman, Kang Nam-hoon, said that with limited BEV exports to the US, where more localised production will take place, developing the South Korean BEV market is essential to improve the competitiveness of local vehicle manufacturers in this segment. He suggested that in order to “ensure the price competitiveness of domestic BEVs and maintain domestic manufacturing bases, it is necessary to introduce incentives such as a domestic production promotion tax system.”
