CATL Leads Global EV Battery Market with 40.7% Share in Q1 2026
The Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) maintained a dominant position in the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market during the first quarter of 2026, capturing 40.7% of the market share. This was revealed by data from South Korean research firm SNE Research, which tracks the fiercely competitive EV battery sector.
Global EV battery usage rose by 9.1% year-on-year between January and March 2026, reaching a total of 244.6 gigawatt-hours (GWh). CATL’s battery installations increased to 99.5 GWh from 86.4 GWh in the same period last year, a growth of 15.2%. This surge was mainly driven by expanding vehicle sales among its key Chinese clients, including Seres, Nio, and Li Auto.
BYD, another major Chinese battery manufacturer, held the second spot globally with a 13.7% market share during the quarter. However, this represents a decline from its 16.2% share in the first quarter of 2025. Battery installations by BYD fell to 33.5 GWh from 36.4 GWh year-on-year, marking an 8% decrease. The drop was attributed largely to sluggish sales in BYD’s own vehicle brand within China, despite increased battery supply to new partners such as Xiaomi.
South Korea’s LG Energy Solution (LGES) remained in third place with a 9.7% share, recording 23.7 GWh in installations. LGES experienced a moderate year-on-year growth of 6.6%.
Following LGES, China’s CALB ranked fourth with 11.6 GWh battery installations and a 4.8% market share, achieving a substantial 31.7% growth compared to the previous year. Gotion High-tech, also based in China, was fifth with 10.2 GWh and 4.2% share.
Japanese manufacturer Panasonic was sixth globally with 9.1 GWh in battery installations (3.7% market share), showing a modest 4% year-on-year increase. Other players like South Korea’s SK On, Eve Energy, Svolt, and Sunwoda held smaller shares between 2.2% and 3.7% each.
The data highlights the continued dominance of Chinese firms in the global EV battery market and underscores the challenges faced by South Korean companies due to slowing demand in key markets such as the United States. CATL’s steady expansion further solidifies its leadership while BYD seeks to recover from its recent setbacks amid evolving market dynamics.