In June 2023, the EU car market grew by 17.8% to 1 million registered units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) data. This growth can be attributed to the region’s rebound from a low comparison base last year, primarily driven by vehicle component shortages.
Except for Hungary (-1.4%), all the EU markets grew, including the four largest: Germany (+24.8%), Spain (+13.3%), France (+11.5%), and Italy (+9.1%).
In the first half of 2023, new EU car registrations increased significantly (+17.9%), reaching 5.4 million units. The recent months’ improvements indicate that the European automotive industry is recovering from supply disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, cumulative volumes are 21% lower compared to 2019. Most of the region’s markets grew significantly in the first six months of 2023, including the four largest ones: Spain (+24.0%), Italy (+22.8%), France (+15.3%), and Germany (+12.8%).
In June, the battery-electric car market share surged from 10.7% to 15.1%, overtaking diesel share for the first time. Hybrid-electric cars remained the second-most popular choice among new car buyers, representing 24.3% of the market. However, petrol cars retained the largest share, accounting for 36.3%.
In June, new registrations of battery-electric cars in the EU increased by a significant 66.2%, reaching 158,252 units. This resulted in a market share of 15.1% (up from 10.7% in June 2022) and positioned battery-electric cars as the third most popular choice among new car buyers, overtaking diesel for the first time. Most EU markets recorded impressive double- and triple-digit percentage gains, including the largest, such as the Netherlands (+90.1%), Germany (+64.4%), and France (+52.0%). This contributed to a year-to-date growth of 53.8%, with 703,586 units sold between January and June.
New hybrid-electric car registrations surged by 32.4% in June, reaching 254,100 units. This growth was primarily driven by substantial gains in the bloc’s largest markets: Germany (+59.1%), Italy (+29.9%), France (+27.9%), and Spain (+22.7%). Cumulatively, hybrid-electric car sales recorded a remarkable 27.9% increase from January to June, reaching nearly 1.4 million units and capturing 25% of the market.
In June, the EU market for new plug-in hybrid cars rebounded, with registrations increasing by 13.4%. Although there was a significant 39.2% sales decline in Germany, the largest market for this fuel type, the substantial increase in France (+49.9%) and Spain (+51.7%) largely offset this decline. The overall market share of plug-in hybrid cars decreased to 7.9% from 8.2% in June last year, despite June’s increase in registrations.
In June, the EU petrol car market grew 11%, totalling 379,067 units. However, the market share decreased to 36.3% from 38.5% in June 2022. The growth was primarily driven by solid gains in the four largest EU markets, particularly Germany (+19.8%) and Spain (+11.9%). Over 2 million petrol cars were sold in the EU in the first half of the year, a notable 15.9% increase compared to 2022.
In contrast, the EU market for diesel cars continued to decline (-9.4%) last month, despite growth in Germany (+10.3%) and Central European markets, particularly Romania (+22.4%). Diesel cars now represent a market share of 13.4%, down from 17.4% in June last year.
[source: ACEA]
