EV MANUFACTURERS CHOOSE CONTINENTAL

Hanover, Germany, March 12, 2026.

Continental has expanded its market position even further in the field of electric mobility. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, the company supplied original equipment tyres to the 10 highest-volume manufacturers of electric vehicles in 2025. This result underscores Continental Tires’ strategic focus on the growing e-mobility market. Worldwide, 17 of the 20 highest-volume electric vehicle manufacturers place their trust in tyres from the Hanover-based company. They include both premium and volume manufacturers such as BYD, Volkswagen, Stellantis, BMW, NIO, Hyundai and Renault. In the Americas region, Continental currently supplies 8 of the 10 highest-volume manufacturers. In the most dynamic market region, Asia Pacific (APAC), it supplies 7 of the top 10. The Chinese market is particularly volatile: within one year, new high-volume manufacturers have entered the rankings there.

“The EMEA region confirms the success of our strategy. We began designing our passenger tyres for low rolling resistance, quiet rolling noise and high load capacity very early on. These properties are especially important for electric vehicles,” says Dennis Bellmund, responsible for the global original equipment business at Continental Tires.

Developing tyres with electric vehicles in mind

Electric vehicles place particular demands on tyres. Due to the weight of their batteries, they are generally heavier than comparable combustion-engine vehicles. They also deliver instant torque when accelerating. The resulting higher load and greater torque can lead to faster tyre wear. Electric vehicles are also quieter than vehicles with combustion engines, which means tyre rolling noise is more noticeable.

Continental began early on to optimise its tyres for ever-lower rolling resistance, quiet rolling noise and high mileage – regardless of the vehicle’s drive system. The tyre manufacturer introduced its first tyre line specifically designed for energy efficiency back in 1993 – the ContiEcoContact. Since 2023, Continental has included the “EV Compatible” logo on its extensive range of passenger car, SUV and 4x4 tyres that are designed for use on electric vehicles.

Electric mobility: the global market continues to grow

Global sales volumes of electric vehicles are growing steadily. Industry experts such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) regularly provide forecasts and analyses on the development of the global electric-vehicle market. The ISI projected a 23 percent increase in global sales of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) for 2025: from 10.3 million electric cars sold in 2024 to 12.7 million in 2025. The Asia-Pacific region, especially China, is and remains by far the largest single market for electric cars, with double-digit growth rates. Europe is the second most important sales market worldwide. At 2.5 million, around 26 percent more electric vehicles were registered than in 2024. In North America, new registrations remained at the previous year’s level of 1.4 million vehicles, according to ISI.

ENDS

Press contacts

South Africa:

Jiminy Bosman
PR and Communications Manager

BU Replacement EMEA

Continental Tyre SA (Pty) Ltd
Phone:  +27 41 406 5640

Mobile:  +27 83 656 9172
Email: jiminyann.bosman@conti.co.za