Sydney, Australia – Until recently, Rosco Jewell sold about one used electric vehicle every two months on his online marketplace, Amazing EV.But in the weeks since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Jewell has been shifting a second-hand EV roughly every two weeks.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“It is now getting very hard to find used EVs to buy in the $20,000 to $50,000 range. And we’ve also seen prices increase by 10 to 15 percent – in some cases, 20 percent as well,” the Sydney-based businessman told Al Jazeera.As conflict in the Middle East drives petrol and diesel prices worldwide, demand for EVs has been surging in numerous countries.The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, have both seen a surge in EV sales after market slumps in 2025.Chinese manufacturers reported an 82.6 percent rise in month-on-month sales in March, according to the China Automotive Dealers Association.US EV sales last month topped 82,000 units, down by one quarter year over year, but up by more than 20 percent from February, according to Cox Automotive. A BYD logo is seen during the Shanghai auto show in Shanghai, China, on April 23, 2025 [Ng Han Guan/AP]In Vietnam, local EV brand Vinfast reported a 127 percent rise in year-on-year sales in March.Euan Graham, an analyst at the energy think tank Ember, said the war on Iran has accelerated a trend of growing EV adoption in emerging markets, including Southeast Asia, spurred by past energy shocks such as the war in Ukraine.“ …
