February 2025 year-to-date (YTD) figures reveal a 3% drop in new EU car registrations compared to the same period in 2024. This decline is reflected in major markets like Italy (-6%), Germany (-4.6%), and France (-3.3%). Spain, however, bucks the trend with an 8.4% increase.
The most significant story is the continued rise of electric vehicles. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) now account for 15.2% of the total EU market share, a notable jump from 11.5% in the same period last year.
– BEV Growth: New BEV sales surged by 28.4%, reaching 255,489 units. Germany (+41%), Belgium (+38%), and the Netherlands (+25%) led this growth, while France saw a slight decline of 1.3%.
– Hybrid Dominance: Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) remain the preferred choice among EU consumers, capturing 35.2% of the market. Registrations increased by 18.7%, driven by strong growth in major markets like France (+51.4%), Spain (+31.5%), Italy (+10.4%), and Germany (+9.8%).
– Plug-in Hybrid Decline: Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) saw a 5% decrease, with significant drops in Belgium (-65.3%) and France (-49.3%). PHEVs now represent 7.4% of the total market.
As electrification gains momentum, the market share of traditional petrol and diesel cars is shrinking rapidly.
– Petrol Plunge: Petrol car registrations plummeted by 20.5%, with France experiencing the steepest drop (-27.5%). The overall petrol market share is now 29.1%, down from 35.5% last year.
– Diesel Downfall: Diesel car registrations declined by 28%, resulting in a 9.7% market share. Double-digit declines were observed across most EU markets.
[source: ACEA]
