MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay leads Latin America in electric car sales

During the first semester of 2025, electric vehicle sales in Uruguay reached over 5,000 units, representing a 124% yoy increase

Uruguay has cemented its position as the undisputed leader in Latin American electric vehicle (EV) adoption, achieving a remarkable market penetration of 27.97% in the third quarter of 2025, the Latin American Zero Emissions Observatory (ZEMO) reported. The South American country is way ahead of its nearest competitor (Costa Rica, with 16.26%).

The regional EV market saw substantial growth, with sales increasing by 55% year-over-year in Q3 2025. However, a massive disparity in adoption was noticeable. Uruguay and Costa Rica’s market shares are at least 100 times higher than those of regional laggards, notably Argentina and El Salvador.

While Brazil and Mexico lead the continent in total EV sales volume due to their immense market size, smaller nations like Colombia, Uruguay, and Costa Rica follow closely in volume, the ZEMO survey also detected.

Additionally, SEG Ingeniería, based on data from the Uruguayan Automotive Trade Association (ACAU), found that one in four light vehicles sold in the country during Q3 2025 was fully electric, thus tripling interannual sales.

At the other end of the spectrum, Argentina holds the “dubious distinction” of being the only medium-sized market with minimal electrification, remaining below 1,000 quarterly sales. This performance trails even much smaller economies like Ecuador, which has surpassed that figure.

The explosive growth rang alarm bells among industry observers, as the sector fears a potential “bottleneck” in charging infrastructure, citing an insufficient number of public feeding points to accommodate the rapidly increasing fleet of electric vehicles.

Uruguay and Costa Rica's leadership, coupled with the overall regional sales surge, signals a pivotal moment for Latin America’s energy transition, even as infrastructure and medium-sized markets struggle to keep pace.