South Korea's EV registrations jump 50 percent in 2025, ending two-year slump

벨기에 제브뤼헤 항구에 주차되어 있는 수입산 자동차. 이중에는 중국 BYD가 생산한 신형 전기차도 있다. [사진=로이터연합뉴스]

SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - New electric-vehicle registrations in South Korea topped 220,000 last year, ending two consecutive years of decline and returning to growth, according to industry data released on Tuesday.

In its 2025 report, the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA) said new EV registrations rose 50.1 percent from a year earlier to 220,177 units.

EV penetration — the share of EVs in new vehicle purchases — reached 13.1 percent, entering double digits for the first time. KAMA attributed the rebound to early disbursement of government subsidies and other policy support, aggressive sales promotions by automakers and an expanded lineup of new models.

The recovery was driven in large part by strong demand for Tesla’s Model Y, which sold 50,397 units and accounted for 26.6 percent of the passenger EV market, KAMA said.

Domestic automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia helped broaden the market with new models including the EV4, EV5, EV9 GT, PV5 and Ioniq 9. KG Mobility also entered a new segment with South Korea’s first electric pickup, the Musso EV.

By automaker, Kia led the market with 60,609 registrations, followed by Tesla with 59,893 and Hyundai Motor with 55,461.

Imported EVs continued to gain ground, taking a 42.8 percent market share. The share of domestically produced EVs fell to 57.2 percent, down from 75 percent in 2022.

China-made EVs surged 112.4 percent from a year earlier to 74,728 units, emerging as a major force in the market. KAMA cited increased imports of China-produced Teslas and the market entry of brands such as BYD and Polestar.

Industry officials said the growing presence of China-made EVs could broaden consumer choice and put downward pressure on prices, but also risks weakening South Korea’s manufacturing base and intensifying supply-chain competition, calling for longer-term policy responses.

KAMA said the market’s recovery reflected a combination of policy support and the popularity of specific models rather than broad-based mass adoption or a structural shift in demand. The association called for a more active government role to meet South Korea’s national greenhouse gas reduction target, and to strengthen industry competitiveness.

* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
Han Ji-yeon 기자 hanji@ajunews.com

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