Chinese companies now make more than half of the electric car batteries fitted outside China. Figures from SNE Research, a South Korean market analyst, show the six Chinese cell makers in the top ten supplied 56.4% of the batteries installed in electric and hybrid vehicles outside China between January and September 2026, up from 43.1% a year earlier. CnEVPost and CarNewsChina both reported the data on 5 November.
Over the same period, the three Korean makers, LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On and Samsung SDI, fell from 38.2% to 26.5% of the market outside China.
Who supplied what
Outside China, a total of 426.7 GWh of batteries went into new electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles in the first nine months of 2026, up 24.7% on a year earlier. The leaders were:
| Rank | Maker | Country | GWh | Share | Change on 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CATL | China | 143.7 | 33.7% | +46.7% |
| 2 | LGES | Korea | 69.8 | 16.4% | −4.9% |
| 3 | BYD | China | 45.9 | 10.8% | +66.8% |
| 4 | Panasonic | Japan | 35.6 | 8.4% | −0.8% |
| 5 | SK On | Korea | 28.2 | 6.6% | −17.9% |
| 6 | Gotion | China | 17.6 | 4.1% | +153.8% |
| 7 | Samsung SDI | Korea | 15.0 | 3.5% | −34.4% |
Six of the top ten outside China are Chinese: CATL, BYD, Gotion, Svolt, CALB and Eve Energy. CATL and BYD alone account for 44.5%.
Europe is where much of the growth came from. According to CnEVPost, CATL’s installations in Europe reached 96.8 GWh, up 35.4%, and BYD’s European installations grew by 68.8%. The Korean makers were hit hardest in North America, where their combined installations halved, from 56.1 GWh to 28.1 GWh.
Cheaper chemistry is spreading
The figures also show lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, a lower-cost chemistry, gaining ground. LFP made up 27.7% of batteries fitted outside China, up from 15.8% a year earlier. LFP cells usually store less energy for their weight than nickel-based cells, but they cost less.
The global picture
Including China, SNE Research counted 994.5 GWh of installations worldwide, up 19.7%, CnEVPost reports. CATL led with 39.1% and BYD was second with 15.2%. Seven of the global top ten were Chinese, with 73.0% between them. BYD’s installations in China fell by 7.1%, while its installations outside China rose by two-thirds.
In September CATL began trial cell production at its planned 100 GWh site in Debrecen, Hungary, as we reported.
What it means for UK buyers
With Chinese makers supplying most of the batteries fitted outside China, and Europe a big part of their growth, the next electric or hybrid car you buy may well use Chinese-made cells, whatever the badge on the bonnet.
For buyers, the type of battery is a more useful thing to check than the supplier’s nationality. LFP batteries cost less, while nickel-based batteries usually give more range for the same weight. If it matters to you, ask the dealer which chemistry is fitted, who makes the cells, and how long the battery warranty lasts.
These figures count batteries installed in new vehicles. They say nothing about the quality or reliability of any one maker’s cells.
