Mercedes-Benz accelerated its electric vehicle (EV) transition during the second quarter of 2026, with battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales rising 51 percent year-on-year to 52,852 units, compared with 35,027 units a year earlier. For the first half of 2026, BEV deliveries increased 28 percent to 97,110 units from 75,733 units, reflecting strong customer demand for the company’s expanding electric vehicle portfolio.
Mercedes-Benz Cars sold 87,475 electrified vehicles (xEVs) in Q2 2026, down 7 percent from 93,952 units, as plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) sales dropped 41 percent to 34,623 units from 58,925 units. Despite the decline in PHEVs, electrified vehicles maintained a 20.9 percent share of total passenger car sales, while BEVs accounted for 12.7 percent of all Mercedes-Benz Cars deliveries, up from 7.7 percent in Q2 2025.
During the first six months of 2026, Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 168,812 electrified vehicles, including 97,110 BEVs and 71,702 PHEVs. Electrified vehicles represented 20.2 percent of total passenger car sales, while BEVs increased their share to 11.6 percent, compared with 8.4 percent in the first half of 2025. The company attributed the strong BEV performance to rising demand for the new all-electric GLC, CLA and GLB, while PHEV sales were affected by model discontinuations in China and the removal of tax incentives in the United States.
Mercedes-Benz said demand for its electric vehicle portfolio strengthened in Europe, particularly Germany, where sales of all-electric vehicles increased significantly, driven by the new all-electric GLC, CLA and GLB models. The company also reported growth in overall vehicle sales across Europe and North America, while China remained challenging due to intense competition, cautious consumer sentiment and ongoing model changes. Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles declined partly because of the discontinuation of some PHEV models in China and the removal of tax incentives in the United States.
Mercedes-Benz Vans also recorded robust EV momentum. All-electric van sales climbed 46 percent to 10,062 units in Q2 2026 from 6,872 units, lifting the electric vehicle share of van deliveries to 10.7 percent, up from 7.4 percent a year earlier. In the first half of 2026, electric van sales increased 39 percent to 16,194 units, representing 9.3 percent of total van sales versus 6.6 percent in the previous year.
The automaker continued expanding its electric lineup with the launch of the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz VLE, whose series production began in Spain in June 2026, and the unveiling of the all-electric C-Class, which entered production in Hungary in July 2026. These launches strengthen Mercedes-Benz’s strategy to expand its next-generation EV portfolio while increasing software capabilities through the new MB.OS operating system.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
