Chinese Battery Makers Seize Over Half the Non-China EV Market

Chinese battery manufacturers have crossed a symbolic line. In the first nine months of the year, six of them — CATL, BYD, Gotion, SVOLT, CALB and EVE — captured 56.4 per cent of the battery market for electric and hybrid vehicles outside China, according to a new SNE Research analysis. A year earlier that combined share stood at 43.1 per cent, a jump of 13.3 percentage points.

The pie itself keeps growing, just more slowly. Total installed capacity outside China reached 426.7 GWh from January to September, up 24.7 per cent year-on-year. Factor China back in and the global growth rate drops to 19.7 per cent, a sign that momentum in the world's biggest EV market is cooling even as Chinese suppliers ramp up abroad.

CATL remains untouchable at the top. The company shipped 143.7 GWh outside China, up 47 per cent, giving it exactly one-third of the market — its share climbing 5.1 percentage points to 33.7 per cent. Europe did the heavy lifting, with volume rising 35 per cent to 96.8 GWh, while its Asian volume doubled to 27.1 GWh. BYD, in third, grew 67 per cent to 45.9 GWh and lifted its share from 8.0 per cent to 10.8 per cent, with gains spread across Europe, Asia and a 136 per cent surge in South America.

The Korean trio took the hit. LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI together shipped 113.0 GWh outside China, down 13.5 per cent, and their combined share collapsed 11.7 percentage points from 38.2 per cent to 26.5 per cent. North America was the wound: their installed capacity there nearly halved, from 56.1 to 28.1 GWh. Europe offered some relief, inching up from 58.7 to 63.0 GWh, and Asia rose from 13.1 to 17.5 GWh.

LGES held second place with 69.8 GWh, down 4.9 per cent, as a 45 per cent North American drop — from 29.9 to 16.5 GWh — swallowed its European and Asian gains. Its share slid 5.1 percentage points to 16.4 per cent. Samsung SDI posted the steepest decline of any top-10 player, down 34.4 per cent to 15.0 GWh, with North American volume falling 66 per cent from 12.0 to 4.1 GWh. SK On dropped 18 per cent to 28.2 GWh, hurt by a 46.7 per cent decline in North America despite supplying Hyundai, Ford, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. Panasonic slipped 0.8 per cent to 35.6 GWh, leaning on Tesla's North American volumes.

Battery chemistry is driving the shift. LFP's share of the non-China market rose from 15.8 per cent to 27.7 per cent, a trend SNE Research ties directly to Chinese manufacturers' lead in the technology. European adoption is concentrated in entry-level models, making price competitiveness the deciding factor in supplier picks. Looking ahead, the analysts expect regional political frameworks and demand diversification to shape who wins — with some manufacturers pivoting toward stationary storage, especially in North America, and Europe's Auto Package, combustion-engine phase-out incentives and possible Made-in-Europe rules looming large.