Mercedes sets an EV record in Q3: one in six new cars is electric, and almost one in three in Europe

Mercedes-Benz just had its best quarter ever for electric cars. Between July and September, the passenger car division sold 68,400 EVs, up 61% on the same period last year and 29% above the second quarter.

That means 16.8% of new Mercedes cars sold worldwide were fully electric, or one in six. Including plug-in hybrids, cars with a plug made up 25% of sales.

Europe does the heavy lifting

In Europe, Mercedes EV sales rose 78% versus Q3 2025, and the company says almost one in three Mercedes cars sold there was fully electric. That matches the wider market: in September, one in three new cars in Europe was electric.

The main driver is the electric GLC, whose sales tripled compared with the second quarter. The electric CLA grew 24% after launching in the US and Japan, and the new electric GLB got off to a strong start.

Sold out into 2027

The electric versions of the GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the rest of the year, with order books running "well into 2027." To keep up, the Bremen, Rastatt and Kecskemét (Hungary) plants are running three shifts.

The rest of the numbers

Across all powertrains, Mercedes-Benz Cars sold 407,200 vehicles in Q3, down 8% year on year. China is the problem, with sales down 31%. Outside China, sales rose 1%, with Germany up 13%. Europe accounted for 168,700 cars (+5%).

On the van side, Mercedes-Benz Vans sold 84,400 units, of which roughly 9,700 were electric, and in Europe 15% of its vans were electric.