By October 2025 year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations increased by 1.4% compared to the same period last year, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth, according to the latest data revealed by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Despite this recent positive momentum, overall volumes remain far below pre-pandemic levels. The battery-electric car market share reached 16.4% YTD, yet it is still below the pace needed at this stage of the transition. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, with plug-in hybrids continuing to gain momentum.
In the first ten months of 2025, 1,473,447 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 16.4% of the EU market share, an increase from the low baseline of 13.2% in October 2024 YTD.
The largest four markets in the EU, which together account for 62% of battery-electric car registrations, saw gains: Germany (+39.4%), Belgium (+10.6%), the Netherlands (+6.6%), and France (+5.3%).
October 2025 YTD’s figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 3,109,362 units, driven by growth in the four biggest markets: Spain (+27.1%), France (+26.3%), Germany (+10.3%), and Italy (+8.9%). Hybrid-electric models account for 34.6% of the total EU market.
Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars continue to grow, reaching 819,201 units during the same period. This was driven by increases in volume for key markets such as Spain (+109.6%), Italy (+76.5%), and Germany (+63.4%). As a result, plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 9.1% of EU car registrations, up from 7% last year.
The YOY variation in October 2025 showed a rise of 38.6% for battery-electric and 9.4% for hybrid-electric cars, while plug-in-hybrid electric recorded a 43.2% increase.
By the end of October 2025, petrol car registrations declined by 18.3%, with all major markets experiencing decreases. France experienced the steepest drop, with registrations plummeting by 32.3%, followed by Germany (-22.5%), Italy (-16.9%), and Spain (-13.7%).
With 2,459,151 new cars registered so far, the market share for petrol dropped to 27.4% from 34% the same period last year. Similarly, the diesel car market declined by 24.5%, resulting in a 9.2% share for October 2025 YTD. Additionally, the October 2025 YOY variation showed a 14.3% decline for petrol and 21.9% for diesel.
[source: ACEA]
