Electric vehicles (EVs) made up 57.6 percent of the 13,322 new cars registered in Singapore in the first quarter of 2026, marking the first time they have outsold both internal combustion engine and hybrid models, the Strait Times reported on Monday.

The share represents a sharp rise from 45 per cent in 2025, and a significant jump from 18.1 percent in 2023, 11.7 percent in 2022 and just 3.8 per cent in 2021.

A total of 7,679 new EVs were registered in the first three months of the year.

China’s BYD remained the dominant player, with 3,239 units registered, accounting for 24.3 per cent of the market — up from 21.2 per cent at end-2025.

Data from the Land Transport Authority showed that three other Chinese marques — Chery, GAC and MG Motor — entered the top 10 best-selling brands for the first time, displacing several South Korean and Japanese rivals.

Despite a limited EV line-up, Toyota held on to second place with 1,932 registrations and a 14.5 percent market share, slightly higher than in 2025.

US-based Tesla climbed to third position with 1,515 registrations, capturing 11.4 per cent of the market, up from sixth previously.

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW ranked fourth and fifth with 6.4 per cent and 6.2 per cent market share respectively, swapping positions from a year earlier.

Honda slipped to sixth with a 5.1 percent share, while Nissan rounded out the top 10 with 2.6 percent.

It is noted that Singapore’s EV adoption has been supported by government incentives, with buyers receiving up to S$30,000 ($23,565) in rebates on upfront taxes.

In contrast, higher-emission vehicles can incur penalties of up to S$35,000 ($27,492).

Chinese brands have also gained an edge by offering models that qualify for the lower-cost Category A under Singapore’s certificate of entitlement (COE) system, making EV ownership more accessible to a wider pool of buyers.

Solar and EV dominate Southeast Asia’s $1.8B energy transition funding