China, South Korea, Singapore lead Apac in global EV ranking
[SINGAPORE] China, South Korea and Singapore lead the Asia-Pacific when it comes to electric vehicle adoption and readiness, an index shows.
Western European nations also ranked highly on the EV-Friendly Countries Index created by Australia-based insurance comparison service Compare The Market.
The index gave 25 countries scores out of 100 based on charging access, 2025 market share, running costs, government incentives and combustion engine bans.
Norway placed first with a score of 75.43.
China came in second with 75.27, and South Korea was third with 68.17. Singapore was the only other Asia-Pacific country in the top 10, coming in seventh with a score of 54.59.
Singapore scored second overall on the index’s measure of EV market share. It also ranked highly on charger accessibility, with 10.54 chargers per 1,000 drivers placing it third on the ranking.
However, the Republic’s cost of driving was among the highest at US$56.10 per 100 km.
The rest of the top 10 was made up of European nations. France placed fourth, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. Finland was eighth, the UK came in ninth and Germany rounded out the group.
Countries elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific did not fare as well, with India taking 16th place, Australia at 19th, Japan at 20th and New Zealand at the 22nd spot.
Australia, for example, had a relatively low cost of charging, but had low charger availability and EV market share; it also lacked government incentives for EVs, the index showed.
Compare The Market said the findings of the index, which was first published in May, suggest that high charging expenses do not hinder EV adoption.
This is because a number of nations with higher-than-average EV integration also had substantial costs per 100 km, implying that other factors could be more important in driving adoption.