Vietnam became Southeast Asia’s largest electric-car market in 2025, with electric vehicles accounting for nearly 40 per cent of new-car sales, according to the International Energy Agency.

Electric-car sales in the country more than doubled during the year, taking Vietnam’s EV market share well above the global average of around 25 per cent.

TV BRICS reported on Wednesday that the trend formed part of wider growth across South-East Asia.

Electric-car sales in the region more than doubled in 2025 to over 500,000 vehicles, meaning EVs accounted for almost one in five new cars sold.

Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand were among the main markets driving this expansion.

Thailand recorded around 140,000 electric-car sales in 2025, up 70 per cent, with EVs accounting for nearly a quarter of all new cars sold.

Vietnam, meanwhile, reached around 40 per cent.

Government policies were designed to encourage electric mobility.

Vietnam has exempted battery-electric vehicles from registration fees since 2022 and is incorporating charging infrastructure into its broader green transport strategy.

It is part of the country’s programme to transition the transport sector towards green energy and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Vietnam also plans to promote the production, assembly and import of electric vehicles along with the development of charging infrastructure.

Authorities have also instructed ministries to review regulations governing charging stations at petrol stations and develop standards for charging facilities in apartment buildings, commercial centres and roadside rest areas.

The IEA expects electric-car adoption in Vietnam to continue expanding and projects that EVs could account for more than 80 per cent of new-car sales by 2035.

Globally, more than 20 million electric cars were sold in 2025, up 20 per cent year on year—EVs represented around one-quarter of all new cars sold worldwide.

China remained the world’s largest electric-car market, recording more than 13 million sales and an EV share of nearly 55 per cent.

Vietnam’s rapid growth therefore places it among the markets with the highest levels of electric-car adoption and strengthens its position in South-East Asia’s transition to electric mobility.

(TV BRICS/NAN)