May 13 (Reuters) - Global demand for electric vehicles rose for a second straight month in April as high petrol prices kept steering buyers away from combustion-engine cars, data from consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence showed on Wednesday.

Registrations of new battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose 6% from a year earlier to 1.6 million in April, a proxy for sales, although they fell 9% from March's record monthly high, BMI said.

"Demand continues to be supported by policy incentives, rising petrol prices, and growing Chinese OEM presence," BMI said in a statement.

Governments kept measures in place to limit fuel prices after war in the Middle East disrupted a major shipping route for oil.

In Europe, registrations climbed 27% to about 400,000 units in April, while countries in the European Economic Area and Switzerland have committed nearly 200 billion euros ($235 billion) to their EV ecosystem, a recent study showed.

The global picture, however, was uneven.

In China, April registrations fell 8% from a year earlier to roughly 850,000 vehicles after support for auto trade-ins was withdrawn and a tax break on electric-vehicle purchases expired.

Even so, Chinese manufacturers expanded abroad, with exports topping 400,000 electric vehicles in April alone and total vehicle exports reaching nearly 1.4 million units in the first four months of 2026, more than double a year earlier.

In North America, registrations dropped 28% to 120,000 units in April after the end of a U.S. tax credit scheme and proposals by President Donald Trump's administration to further ease carbon dioxide emissions rules. Mexico stood out, with sales up nearly 50% this year, while Canada's 7% decline is expected to reverse after a new incentive programme.

Chinese brands are also gaining ground in Europe despite European Union tariffs: 22% of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids sold there in the first four months of 2026 were made in China, up from 19% a year earlier, BMI data showed.

($1 = 1.3709 Canadian dollars)