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 The reason was faltering EV sales, particularly after the Trump administration repealed the consumer EV incentive.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.