• Kazakhstanis are buying electric vehicles more actively

According to the Kazakhstan Automobile Union (KAU), in January–August 2026, official dealers sold 6,003 passenger vehicles in the NEV segment, which is 207.4% more than in the same period last year (1,953 units).

The main share of sales came from plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and extended-range electric vehicles (EREV): 4,351 vehicles, or 72.5% of the entire NEV segment. Vehicles in these categories showed growth of more than four times during the reporting period – from 1,008 to 4,351 units. Meanwhile, sales of fully electric vehicles (BEV) increased by 74.8% compared with January–August 2025, rising from 945 to 1,652 units.

Anar MAKASHEVA, President of KAU: “Over the first eight months, sales of NEV vehicles in Kazakhstan exceeded six thousand units. Buyers are increasingly considering electric vehicles for everyday trips, while also taking into account how they will use their vehicles on long-distance routes. That is why plug-in hybrids and extended-range models are seeing the highest demand today.”

BYD became the leader of the NEV market: over eight months, dealers sold 3,208 vehicles of the brand. In August 2026, BYD entered the overall top 10 best-selling vehicles in Kazakhstan for the first time. Geely Galaxy ranked second with 1,244 units, while Li took third place with 888 units. The top five also included Zeekr (214 units) and ROX (131 units).

Among Kazakhstanis, the highest demand was recorded for the plug-in hybrids Geely Galaxy EX5 EM-i (1,205 units) and BYD Song Plus DM-i (1,196 units). They were followed by the electric BYD Song Plus EV (576 units), the plug-in hybrid BYD Chazor (572 units), the electric BYD Yuan Up (555 units), Li L6 (504 units), Li L7 (257 units), BYD Sealion 7 (137 units), ROX 01 (131 units) and Li L9 (126 units).

In addition, over the first eight months, official dealers sold 1,284 vehicles with a conventional hybrid powertrain (HEV), compared with 1,209 units a year earlier. Toyota became the leader with 1,208 units. It was followed by Lexus (63 units) and Porsche (13 units).

PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, with the battery rechargeable from an external socket or charging station.

EREV (Electric Range Extended Vehicle) is an extended-range electric vehicle in which the wheels are driven only by the electric motor, while the gasoline engine operates exclusively as a generator to recharge the battery.

BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is a fully electric vehicle that runs exclusively on battery power and has no internal combustion engine.

HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is a conventional hybrid vehicle that combines a standard internal combustion engine, gasoline or diesel, with a small electric motor and a battery.