Latin America and the Caribbean have passed one million electric cars, new figures show, in a milestone for a region where battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles barely registered a few years ago.

The fleet of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid light vehicles reached 1,016,034 in June 2026, after 285,785 were added in the first half of the year, according to the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organisation (OLACDE) and its Electric Mobility Monitor.

Brazil holds more than half the fleet

Brazil accounts for more than half of the regional total, with over 580,000 electrified vehicles on its roads, and led half-year sales with 91,483 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars sold between January and June. Electrified models made up around one in ten light vehicles sold in the region in 2026.

Chile stands out in buses rather than cars: it has 5,059 electric buses, almost half of the region's 10,685-strong fleet, and the most public chargers per 100 electrified vehicles, at 12.78. Mexico more than doubled its charging network in a single quarter, from 2,046 to 4,802 chargers, overtaking Chile's 4,288.

Charging and grids are the next test

OLACDE says further growth will depend on faster charging expansion, careful grid planning and competitive financing. The monitor is built from official data supplied by member countries and the Latin American Association of Automotive Distributors.

The findings will be discussed at OLACDE's first Regional Sustainable Mobility Summit in Quito on 26 November 2026, as governments weigh how to keep the shift moving without leaving drivers short of places to charge. See the Energía Futura report and the LEMOB summary of the monitor.