EV share tops 60% at auto lease-rental platform Chazm in first half

Six out of every 10 vehicles delivered through Chazm, an auto lease and rental platform, were electric vehicles in the first half of this year, the company said Monday.

Design & Practice, the operator of Chazm, analyzed actual vehicle delivery data for the first half of 2026 and found that electric vehicles accounted for 61.4% of all deliveries — up 39.1 percentage points from 22.3% in the same period last year.

Hybrid vehicles' share fell 17.8 percentage points over the same period, from 39.2% to 21.4%, while internal combustion engine vehicles dropped 20.9 percentage points, from 38.1% to 17.2%. In the first half of last year, hybrids and ICE vehicles each accounted for roughly 40% of deliveries; this year, EVs surpassed the 60% mark.

The EV surge extends beyond leases and rentals to outright purchases as well. According to the Korea Automobile & Mobility Industry Association, new registrations of battery electric vehicles in South Korea reached 198,509 units in the first half of this year, a 113.6% increase from the same period last year, representing 23.3% of all new vehicle registrations.

Among Chazm's individual customers, the EV share also rose sharply — from 18.9% in the first half of last year to 57.9% in the first half of this year. More than half of individual customers who took delivery of a lease or rental vehicle through Chazm this year chose an EV.

Breaking down EV share by age group for the first half of this year, the figures were 49.4% for those in their 20s, 61.0% for those in their 30s, 66.6% for those in their 40s, 62.1% for those in their 50s, and 46.2% for those 60 and older. Customers in their 40s recorded the highest EV share, while those in their 30s through 50s all came in at around 60%.

A separate analysis of individual customers showed a similar pattern, with those in their 40s again leading at 66.5%, followed by those in their 30s at 58.1% and those in their 50s at 54.5% — all above the 50% mark.

Chazm said that given the many variables affecting an EV's future value — including new vehicle prices, subsidy policies, battery technology advances and used-car price fluctuations — leasing or renting on a fixed contract term can be a practical option for consumers.

"The faster the auto market changes, the more complex the process of choosing and using a vehicle becomes for customers," said Jung Sang-yeon, chief executive of Design & Practice. "Chazm will use real customer data to reduce inconvenience and information asymmetry across the entire vehicle consumption journey — from choosing a vehicle and comparing financing terms to signing contracts, taking delivery and beyond."