Last year, electric vehicle sales reached 155,999 units, marking a 61.6% increase from the previous year’s 96,508 units. Domestic electric vehicle sales accounted for 123,027 units, which is a 66.8% rise from 73,714 units sold the previous year.

Hyundai topped the sales chart with 70,372 units sold, demonstrating a 65.8% growth compared to last year’s 42,448 units. The Ioniq 5 stood out as the most sold electric vehicle with 27,399 units, reflecting a 20.9% increase from 22,671 units in the previous year. The Porter also saw a 29.2% rise with 20,418 units sold, while the Ioniq 6 recorded sales of 11,289 units.

Kia sold 49,419 units, representing a 41% increase from 28,998 units a year prior. The EV6 saw a remarkable 125% increase in sales, totaling 24,852 units, compared to 11,023 units the previous year. The Bongo 3 experienced a 43% increase with 15,373 units sold, while the Niro EV rose by 27% with 9,194 units.

Import electric vehicle sales reached 32,972 units, marking a 43.8% rise from the previous year’s 22,972 units. Brands like Volvo, Volkswagen, and Polestar added new electric vehicle lineups and drove demand for imported electric vehicles. Tesla was the clear leader in the import vehicle market.

Tesla recorded 14,571 units sold, which is an 18% decrease from the previous year’s 17,828 units. The most sold model was the Model 3, with 7,323 units sold, down 17.7%. The Model Y also saw a decline, with 7,248 units sold, down 18.5%.

Following Tesla, Mercedes-Benz came in second place. Last year, Mercedes added various electric vehicles like the EQB and EQE, totaling 5,004 units sold, achieving a 307% growth from the previous year’s 1,227 units. The best-selling model was the EQA, with 1,412 units sold, up 59% compared to 886 units the previous year. The EQE followed with 1,080 units sold and the EQB with 728 units.

BMW recorded electric vehicle sales of 4,888 units, achieving a remarkable growth of 1,235% from just 366 units the year before. With the launch of various electric models like the i4, i7, and iX, BMW is leading the charge towards carbon neutrality. The best-selling model was the i4 with 2,353 units sold, followed by the iX3 with 2,096 units and the iX with 371 units.

Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr