Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in South Korea rebounded by 57% to 170,514 units in the first nine months of 2025, up from 108,430 units a year earlier. According to data compiled by a local research organisation sales have been driven by the availability of new and updated passenger vehicle models, improving driving ranges, and increased availability of charging facilities in the country.

Sales of battery-powered passenger vehicles increased by 67% to 153,195 units, compared with 91,630 units previously, accounting for over 13% of total passenger vehicle sales in the country. Tesla’s Model Y was the best-selling BEV model in the country in this period, with 37,035 units delivered, helped by the launch of an updated model in May. The Model Y accounted for almost one-quarter of total battery-powered passenger vehicle sales year-to-date.

The Kia EV3 was the country’s second-best selling BEV model with 18,732 deliveries, followed by the recently revised Hyundai Ioniq 5 with 12,204 units, the Kia EV6 with 7,954 units, and the Kia Ray EV with 7,901 units.

China’s BYD recently entered the market with the launch of the Sealion 7, the Atto 3 and the Seal, with over 1,000 pre-sale agreements signed so far, according to the company.