In this article, we will discuss the 10 Best EV Battery Stocks to Buy in 2026.

On May 1, 2026, Calvin Xu, an analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, reported that over 600 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of cells were shipped globally for battery energy stationary storage (BESS) applications in 2025. This is almost double the volume recorded in 2024, as assessed by the firm’s Battery Energy Stationary Storage Service.

The findings arrive at what may be a watershed moment for the broader clean energy industry. A conflict has been underway in the Middle East since late February, and has removed about a fifth of the global supply of oil from the market. In fact, the IMF noted on March 30 that the International Energy Agency characterized the resulting supply disruption as the largest in the history of the global oil market.

Interestingly, this reality has caused interest in electric vehicles, or EVs, to shoot up. Data by Benchmark shows that sales of passenger cars and light-duty EVs in Europe were up 33% year-on-year in March 2026. This figure was just 19% in the first two months of the year. Charles Lester, Benchmark’s data manager, told Reuters on April 14 that many markets worldwide saw faster EV sales growth after the conflict erupted than before. “There is a good portion of this that you can put down to the rise in petrol prices,” Lester noted.

Battery EV registrations in Europe also jumped 51% in March 2026 compared to the same month last year. Over 224,000 new EVs were registered across key EU and EFTA markets, which accounted for 22% of all new car sales in those markets. Chris Heron, Secretary-General of E-Mobility Europe, remarked that the surge in EV sales represented one of Europe’s biggest recent gains in energy security, “in a month when oil dependence has become a real vulnerability.”

If anything, it appears the Middle East conflict may be just the catalyst the global battery EV industry needed. This is because the sector had, in fact, been losing ground to competing applications. On March 19, the Wall Street Journal reported that makers of EV batteries in the US had begun pivoting to manufacture energy storage systems for data centers and electric utilities. The reason was faltering EV sales, particularly after the Trump administration repealed the consumer EV incentive.

That said, this article explores some of the best EV battery stocks investors can pile into in 2026.

Our Methodology

To create this list, we analyzed the holdings of US-listed ETFs, such as the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF, to identify battery-related stocks. This list includes pure play EV battery cell makers, battery materials and supply companies, , battery materials and supply companies, lithium producers and developers, and EV-adjacent battery energy storage companies. We ensured that the stocks have positive analyst upside potential as of May 5, 2026, and that a substantial number of hedge funds have interest in them. For the hedge fund holding data, we used the Q4 2025 13F filing data from Insider Monkey’s database. Finally, we ranked the stocks based on their upside potential.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).

Best EV Battery Stocks to Buy in 2026

10. Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 19

Stock Upside: 4.79%

Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC) is one of the best EV battery stocks to buy in 2026. On May 5, Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC) appointed Clayton Walker as an independent member of its Board of Directors. The tenure was effective as of May 4.

Walker is a former Rio Tinto executive, where he served in several senior leadership roles, including Chief Growth and Development Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the company’s Copper product group. He also served as CEO and Executive Chairman of Iron Ore Company of Canada for five years.

Separately, Lithium Americas shared its full-year 2025 results on March 19, in which it stated that since the Thacker Pass lithium project is still a work in progress, the company recorded zero revenue for 2025. Meanwhile, the company reported that the full-year net loss widened to $86.3 million, or $0.50 loss per share, from $42.6 million, or $0.21 per share, in 2024. Management said this loss came on the back of a sharp rise in operating expenses, which climbed to $52.8 million from $28.3 million. They cited significantly more hiring, higher professional fees, and a $14.1 million community contribution toward building a new school in the nearby town of Orovada.

Despite the losses, total cash and restricted cash stood at $905.6 million at year-end, up from $594.2 million at the end of 2024. This increase was funded by the first $435 million drawdown of its $2.23 billion US Department of Energy loan in October 2025, equity raised through ATM programs ($401.2 million in 2025 alone), and a strategic investment from Orion Resource Partners, management noted.

Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC) is a lithium development company that supplies lithium used in EV batteries.

9. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 57

Stock Upside: 10.13%

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is one of the best EV battery stocks to buy in 2026. On April 22, Truist Securities analyst Peter Osterland raised his price target on Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) to $245 from $210 while maintaining a Buy rating.

The target hike reflects Osterland’s upward revisions to both the 2026 and 2027 earnings estimates for Albemarle. This move aligns with what the analyst describes as sustained momentum in lithium prices through the first part of 2026. Osterland believes this trend will be around for a long time and that it will be driven by demand from electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage that continues to outpace supply growth in the near to medium term.

This bullish call follows a similar move on January 21 when Osterland upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy and lifted the target to $205 from $125. He premised his thesis on improving lithium market fundamentals and Albemarle’s strengthening free cash flow prospects.

Following that January upgrade, Osterland reiterated his Buy rating and raised the target to $210 on March 6. The call came after Albemarle’s non-deal roadshow, and the analyst expected the company to maintain a disciplined approach to costs and capital expenditure in the near term. In the analyst’s view, this cost-control posture would position Albemarle well to expand margins as lithium prices rise.

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is a specialty chemicals company that supplies lithium used in the manufacture of EV batteries. The company produces lithium compounds such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, which are essential inputs in lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Its operations span lithium extraction and chemical processing.

8. QuantumScape Corporation (NASDAQ:QS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38

Stock Upside: 13.35%

QuantumScape Corporation (NASDAQ:QS) is one of the best EV battery stocks to buy in 2026. On April 22, QuantumScape Corporation (NASDAQ:QS) shared its Q1 FY2026 financial results, where it reported a GAAP net loss of $100.8 million. This was an improvement from the $114.4 million loss posted in Q1 2025. Management explained that the improvement was because operating expenses declined to $109.2 million from $122.9 million a year ago. Basic and diluted net loss per share came in at $0.16 per share, well ahead of the $0.18 expected.

The company detailed that customer billings reached $11 million in the quarter. These included the company’s first-ever billings from ecosystem partners. Management highlighted this as a meaningful milestone because it signals that third parties are now financially invested in their company’s technology platform and that a licensing and royalty revenue stream is beginning to take shape.

However, management said the quarter’s most significant operational milestone was the completion of installation for the Eagle Line. This is QuantumScape’s pilot-scale solid-state cell production facility. The company said start-up operations are now underway, and that the project is central to its commercialization strategy.

QuantumScape inaugurated the Eagle Line production facility on February 4 at its headquarters in San Jose, California. Automotive OEM customers including Volkswagen Group, ecosystem partners, and government officials attended the ceremony.

QuantumScape Corporation (NASDAQ:QS) is a battery technology company. It designs and produces advanced battery cells that use solid electrolytes instead of liquid ones. The company supplies next-generation battery technologies intended for integration into EV platforms.

7. Electrovaya Inc. (NASDAQ:ELVA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 5

Stock Upside: 16.40%

Electrovaya Inc. (NASDAQ:ELVA) is one of the best EV battery stocks to buy in 2026. On April 29, H.C. Wainwright reiterated its Buy rating on Electrovaya Inc. (NASDAQ:ELVA) and kept its price target at $10.

Analyst Amit Dayal lifted Electrovaya’s FY2028 EPS estimate to $0.62 from $0.61. This call was regardless of the analyst’s doubts about near-term projects. Dayal said his firm slashed its second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue forecast from $19.2 million down to $7.9 million, citing caution over possible supply chain disruptions tied to developments in the Middle East.

Despite that near-term pullback, Wainwright expects Electrovaya to exceed $83 million in full-year fiscal 2026 revenue, which is a huge jump from the $68 million the company generated over the past twelve months. This outlook, Dayal said, is supported by a $10.5 million order booked in February and the March launch of new integrated OEM high-voltage battery systems.

Independently of the analyst action, on April 13, Electrovaya launched a new line of Infinity battery systems designed specifically for Class III material handling vehicles, commonly known as walkie pallet jacks. Walkie pallet jacks are used across warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and retail stores.

According to the company’s VP of Business Development Jeremy Dang, this new product line adds to Electrovaya’s existing material handling portfolio. It also moves the company closer to offering a complete, unified battery solution to its customers in that segment, Dang added.

Electrovaya Inc. (NASDAQ:ELVA) is a Canadian battery technology company. It develops and manufactures lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The company specializes in advanced battery systems, including its proprietary lithium-ion ceramic (LFP-based) technology.

6. Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 33

Stock Upside: 21.65%

Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) is one of the best EV battery stocks to buy in 2026. On April 30, Roth Capital lowered its price target on Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) to $13 from $19 while keeping a Neutral rating on the stock.

The core of Roth’s caution is a concern that Fluence’s gross margins are not improving fast enough. The firm wants to see harder evidence that margins are actually recovering before they become more constructive on the stock, especially after first-quarter results came in below expectations.

Adding pressure to that concern, peers in the battery storage and energy equipment space have been signaling margin compression in their own commentary, Roth noted. In other words, the pricing environment across the industry is getting tougher, and this makes a near-term margin recovery at Fluence even harder to count on.

Nonetheless, Roth does expect Fluence to report a substantial pickup in both deliveries and margins in Q2 compared to Q1. However, its estimates sit below the broader analyst consensus.

Separately, on April 17, UBS analyst Jon Windham downgraded Fluence from Neutral to Sell and slashed the price target to $8 from $22. The analyst cited a structural threat to the company’s business model driven by what he sees as an impending and underappreciated wave of battery oversupply.

According to Windham, as government incentives make EV manufacturing less attractive, auto manufacturers are pivoting their battery production capacity toward utility-scale BESS, which is Fluence’s core market. Windham believes this will flood the sector with supply and push prices down sharply.

Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) is an energy storage technology company that provides battery-based energy storage systems using lithium-ion batteries. The company designs and deploys battery storage solutions that support grid reliability and integrate renewable energy. It supplies battery systems, software, and services that manage energy storage and performance.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Best EV Battery Stocks to Buy in 2026.

Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.