Mexico’s EV charging divide
Mexico’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) market is growing quickly, but adoption and charging access remain heavily concentrated in a handful of major metropolitan areas. Disparities in public network rollouts, residential charging access, and the commercial case for new charging sites across states mean that Mexico’s charging challenge is not only about the number of chargers available, but also about where they are located and who can realistically use them.
A fast-growing but concentrated market
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), combined Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) sales reached 29.2k units in H1 2026, up 101.5% year-on-year (YoY) from 14.5k units in the same period of 2025. PHEVs drove the majority of this growth, surging by 206.9% YoY, while BEV sales rose by 45.3% YoY. Conventional hybrid sales increased by 27.5% YoY over the same period, indicating that demand for vehicles requiring external charging is expanding considerably faster than the broader electrified vehicle (xEV) market.
However, these headline growth figures mask stark regional differences. Mexico City, the State of Mexico, and Nuevo León together accounted for 50.6% of national BEV and PHEV sales during the first half of 2026. Jalisco ranked fourth, while volumes dropped off sharply across the remaining states. PEV adoption is therefore expanding, but it is not doing so at the same pace across the country.
Source: GlobalData/INEGI
Charging access remains unequal
The regional divide in PEV sales becomes more consequential when viewed alongside charging access. Around two-thirds of Electric Vehicle (EV) owners charge their vehicles at home, and Mexico’s charging base remains far more concentrated in private settings than in the public network. Available figures indicate that the country has more than 60k charging points, including approximately 56k private installations located in homes, condominiums, offices, dealerships, and distribution centers.
This creates a practical difference between consumers who can rely on domestic charging and those who cannot. Households with private parking and a suitable electrical connection can generally charge more conveniently and at lower cost, whereas residents and tenants of apartments may not control the parking space or electrical infrastructure needed to install a charger. Even when a building can accommodate chargers, property owners may need to manage additional electrical loads or upgrade internal networks.
Income and location therefore influence whether consumers can realistically adopt an EV or PHEV. Government incentives reduce some financial and regulatory barriers to ownership, including federal income tax deductions for the purchase or lease of EVs, exemption from the New Automobile Tax (ISAN), and local benefits such as exemptions from mandatory vehicle emissions inspections and Hoy No Circula driving restrictions. However, these measures do not address the practical charging constraints facing consumers without private parking or those living in regions with limited public infrastructure.
Public charging presents a different set of challenges. New sites require medium-voltage connections, on-site substations, and compliance with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE)[GB1.1] and electrical safety requirements. Deployment can be more difficult in areas with grid constraints or high logistics costs. For private operators, this creates a difficult investment decision: regions with the highest need for additional coverage may not yet offer sufficient demand to make new sites commercially viable.
OEMs are beginning to respond
OEM-led initiatives can reduce part of the charging barrier. In Mexico, Kia includes a 7.4 kW AC home charger with the purchase of its EV3, along with up to 20 meters of installation, assistance with required CFE procedures, and a three-year warranty covering both the charger and installation. By incorporating these services into the purchase process, Kia reduces the upfront cost and the complexity associated with home charging.
The initiative may also influence how other OEMs support charging in Mexico, particularly because the third-party residential charging market is less developed than in the US or Western Europe. However, bundled home charging cannot fully compensate for gaps in the public network. Its benefits remain limited to consumers with suitable private parking, while apartment residents, tenants, and drivers traveling beyond their usual routes remain more dependent on public chargers.
Public infrastructure does not mirror PEV demand
As of March 2026, Mexico had 2,046 public charging stations and 4,802 public chargers. Mexico City, the State of Mexico, and Nuevo León accounted for 33.7% of the country’s public charging stations and 36.9% of its public chargers, despite representing 50.6% of national BEV and PHEV sales in H1 2026.
This indicates that public charging infrastructure is not distributed in proportion to PEV sales. Aggregate state shares alone, however, do not identify where the existing network may face the greatest pressure. Comparing each state’s H1 sales with the number of public chargers available offers another measure of where demand may be outpacing infrastructure.
At the national level, Mexico recorded an average of approximately 6.1 BEV and PHEV sales in H1 for every public charger available. However, nine states exceeded this level. Aguascalientes recorded the highest ratio, at 13.2 sales per charger, followed by Hidalgo at 11.9, Tabasco at 11.3, and Sinaloa at 10.6. These ratios require careful interpretation, as a small charging network can produce a high sales-per-charger figure even where the local PEV market remains relatively limited.
Source: GlobalData/INEGI/CFE
Major markets warrant closer scrutiny
The sales-to-charger ratio is most informative when evaluated alongside total market size. Nuevo León and the State of Mexico recorded 9.5 and 8.8 PEV sales per public charger, respectively, in H1 2026. Unlike smaller states with elevated ratios, both are high-volume markets where vehicle sales relative to public charger availability exceed the national average of 6.1. This suggests that their public charging networks could come under increasing pressure if PEV adoption continues to grow.
However, underlying drivers differ between the two states. In the State of Mexico, charging infrastructure is mostly concentrated within the Toluca metropolitan area and the municipalities bordering Mexico City, leaving peripheral and less urbanized areas underserved despite a relatively high aggregate charger count. In Nuevo León, PEV demand is concentrated in the Monterrey industrial corridor, where the public charging network continues to develop alongside PEV adoption.
Elevated ratios in smaller states should be viewed as early signals of emerging local demand, whereas large markets with both high sales volumes and above-average ratios present the most compelling commercial case for immediate network expansion. This distinction can help charging operators, policymakers, and OEMs decide where further monitoring or investment may be most useful.
Ultimately, Mexico’s EV charging challenge extends beyond increasing the total number of chargers to aligning infrastructure development with regional demand patterns. While OEM-bundled home chargers ease adoption for homeowners, expanding the public network remains vital for consumers without access to private parking, while also facilitating longer journeys. As BEV and PHEV sales continue to increase, closer coordination between automakers, charging providers, and public authorities will be needed to prevent regional infrastructure imbalances in charging access from becoming a larger obstacle to national PEV adoption.
Diego Garzon, Analyst, Americas Powertrain Forecasts