Toyota and Lexus sold 309,766 battery-electric vehicles worldwide in the first nine months of 2026, a 127.4% increase from the same period last year. The growth has not been enough to offset a broader slowdown: Toyota Motor’s global sales fell for a third straight month in September, with the company pointing to weaker results in China.
Toyota’s EV sales more than doubled year over year in every month so far this year except January, when they rose 87.5%. The gains followed updated versions of the bZ4X and Lexus RZ, alongside new models including the C-HR+, bZ4X Touring and Urban Cruiser. Lexus has also added an electric ES, while both brands are expected to introduce a three-row electric SUV in the coming months.
The bZ4X ranked 20th among the world’s best-selling EVs through August, with nearly 100,000 units sold, according to data cited by Cleantechnica.
Toyota sold 860,107 vehicles globally in September, down 2.2% from a year earlier. Its sales for the first nine months reached 7.51 million, a 3.4% decline. The company said demand in China had weakened, particularly for gasoline-powered and hybrid vehicles, amid rising gasoline prices.
Toyota’s sales in China fell 18.9% in the first nine months, to just over 1.05 million vehicles. That marked the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year declines in the country. Toyota sells several EVs there through its joint ventures with GAC and FAW, including the bZ3, bZ3X, bZ5 and bZ7.
Toyota has now sold more vehicles in Japan than in China this year through September: 1.19 million in its home market, compared with just over 1.05 million in China.
Sources: Electrek.