Global Battery Usage Jumped 31.7% Last Year... Market Share of Korean Battery Makers Fell
by Kang Heejong
Published 04 Feb.2026 10:20(KST)
Updated 04 Feb.2026 14:22(KST)
CATL and BYD Take First and Second Place Among Chinese Players
North American EV Demand Likely to Slow and Competition in Europe to Intensify This Year
Rising ESS Demand Expected to Support Higher Utilization Rates
According to SNE Research, an energy-focused market research firm, the total battery usage installed in battery electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) registered around the world from January to December 2025 reached approximately 1187 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up 31.7% from the same period a year earlier.
During the same period, the combined global market share for electric-vehicle battery usage by the three Korean battery makers, LG Energy Solution, SK On, and Samsung SDI, came to 15.4%, down 3.3 percentage points from a year earlier.
LG Energy Solution’s battery usage increased 11.3% year-on-year to 108.8 GWh, allowing it to retain third place with a 9.2% share. SK On’s usage rose 12.3% to 44.5 GWh, giving it a 3.7% share and placing it sixth.
In contrast, Samsung SDI’s usage stood at 28.9 GWh, making it the only company among the top 10 suppliers to see a decline, with a drop of 6.9%. Samsung SDI’s market share was 2.4%, ranking ninth.Weak sales at Rivian were analyzed to have negatively affected Samsung SDI’s supply share.
Chinese companies rapidly expanded their presence not only in their domestic market but also overseas, backed by strong price competitiveness.
In 2025, CATL recorded supply of 464.7 GWh, up 35.7% from a year earlier, and firmly maintained its No. 1 position with a 39.2% share.
BYD posted 194.8 GWh, up 27.7%, ranking second globally in battery usage with a 16.4% share.In particular, BYD’s battery usage in Europe reached 14.9 GWh, a 201.4% increase from the same period a year earlier.
In addition, a total of six Chinese companies made it into the global top 10 by market share, including CALB (5.3%, fourth), Gotion (4.5%, fifth), EVE (2.6%, eighth), and SVOLT (2.4%, tenth).Japan’s Panasonic, which mainly supplies batteries to Tesla, recorded 44.2 GWh of battery usage, placing seventh with a 3.7% share.
SNE Research stated, "This year, the earnings recovery of Korean battery cell manufacturers is highly likely to be delayed due to slowing EV demand in North America and intensifying competition in Europe," adding, "In particular, if demand volatility in the North American market increases, it is expected to weigh on both shipment volumes and profitability."
It added, "However, energy storage systems (ESS) are expected to see structurally increasing demand driven by changes in policy and regulatory environments, which could partially cushion the downside in earnings by helping Korean companies improve their product mix and defend their utilization rates."
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