Uruguay E-Mobility Report

Uruguay’s electric vehicle market continues to show very strong growth in 2026. EV sales approached 4,000 units in August 2026, up 171% year over year and 22% compared with July 2026. As a result, new monthly sales records were set in six out of the first eight months of 2026.

EVs accounted for 56% of total vehicle sales in August. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represented 51% of the overall market, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) accounted for the remaining 5%, or approximately one-tenth of EV sales.

Between January and August 2026, total vehicle sales increased by 16% compared with the same period in 2025. Over the same period, sales of vehicles with combustion-based powertrains (ICEVs and HEVs) fell by 16% compared with 2025 and by 20% compared with 2024:

Factors driving this increase in sales include the growing availability of affordable electric vehicles, rising fuel prices—which have increased by between 11% and 13% since the beginning of the year—and the announcement that electric vehicles will become subject to the IMESI tax:

Starting in 2027, imported EVs priced between USD 19,001 and USD 27,000 will be subject to a 5% excise tax. EVs priced above USD 27,001 will be subject to a 9% rate. Lower-priced EVs will remain exempt from this tax; for vehicles with internal combustion engines, the applicable rates can reach 35%.