While overall new car registrations in Europe are barely holding steady, the battle for the buyer’s preference is clearly being won by electrified vehicles.
Despite a second straight month of positive growth, overall new car registrations in the EU for the year-to-date (YTD) through August 2025 are down slightly—just 0.1% compared to the same period last year. It’s a tight race, but digging into the data reveals some changes in what’s sitting in driveways.
– Hybrids Reign Supreme: Hybrid-electric cars (HEVs) are the clear favorites, remaining the most popular power type and the preferred choice among EU consumers. Their registrations are surging, capturing an impressive 34.7% of the market YTD. All four major EU markets saw significant growth, led by France () and Spain ().
Battery-Electric Vehicles (BEVs) Gaining Ground: New battery-electric car registrations hit 1,132,603 units, now accounting for 15.8% of the EU market share. While this is a healthy jump from the 12.6% market share recorded in August 2024 YTD, the pace of transition is still considered a bit slow. Still, major markets are driving the growth, with Germany (), Belgium (), and the Netherlands () all seeing strong gains. France was the outlier, showing a decline of YTD despite a strong August.
Plug-in Hybrids Show Massive Growth: Plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) are having a moment, reaching ,783 registrations and increasing their market share to 8.8% (up from ). Key markets are practically doubling their numbers, with Spain (), Germany (), and Italy () all showing phenomenal increases in volume.
As electrified options take over, the market for purely combustion-engine cars is shrinking fast:
– Petrol’s Plunge: Registrations for petrol cars are down 19.7% YTD, with the combined market share for petrol and diesel falling to just 37.5% (down from 47.6% in 2024). France saw the steepest drop in petrol car registrations (–33.5%), followed by Germany (–25.2%).
– Diesel’s Disappearance: The diesel car market is also in sharp decline, falling by 25.7% YTD and now holding just a 9.4% market share.
[source: ACEA]
