Battery-electric cars overtook petrol models in the EU new car market during the first nine months of 2026, reaching a 22.7% market share as registrations climbed to nearly 1.93 million.
The shift made fully electric cars the EU’s second most popular powertrain behind hybrid-electric models. Petrol’s share fell to 21.2%, highlighting the continuing change in European buying preferences.
Overall, new EU passenger car registrations increased 5.7% year-to-date through September, despite rising energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty. Electrified vehicles continued to attract buyers, supported by purchase incentives in key markets and a wider choice of models.
Battery-Electric Cars Move Ahead of Petrol
A total of 1,931,465 new battery-electric cars were registered across the EU between January and September 2026. Their market share rose from 16.1% in the same period last year to 22.7%—an increase of 6.6 percentage points.
Growth was particularly strong in France, where battery-electric registrations increased 79.1%. Germany followed with a 58.1% rise, while Denmark recorded growth of 40.3%. Belgium also expanded, with registrations up 15.7%.
Together, these four markets accounted for 64% of EU battery-electric car registrations, underlining their importance to the region’s transition to electric mobility.
The results put fully electric cars ahead of petrol models on a year-to-date basis, although conventional hybrids retained a substantial lead.
Hybrids Remain the Most Popular Choice
Hybrid-electric vehicles continued to dominate the EU market, accounting for 36.3% of new car registrations through September.
Registrations reached 3,090,530 units, supported by strong demand in Italy and Spain, where volumes increased 20.8% and 20.5%, respectively. Growth was more modest in Germany at 4.9%, while France recorded a 0.6% increase.
The figures show that hybrids remain a major part of Europe’s changing powertrain mix, even as fully electric cars gain market share.
Plug-In Hybrids Take a 10.1% Share
Plug-in hybrid registrations reached 860,257 units during the first nine months of 2026, lifting their EU market share to 10.1%, compared with 9% a year earlier.
Italy delivered particularly strong growth, with registrations rising 72.4%. Spain followed with a 34.7% increase, while Germany recorded a 13.7% gain.
Battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids together accounted for 32.8% of EU registrations. That means almost one in three new cars registered during the period could be charged from an external power source.
Petrol and Diesel Continue to Lose Ground
Petrol car registrations fell 19.1% to 1,802,078 units through September. Their market share declined from 27.7% to 21.2%, leaving petrol behind both hybrid-electric and battery-electric models.
All major EU markets recorded double-digit declines. France saw the steepest drop at 36.1%, followed by Germany at 22.7%, Spain at 19% and Italy at 16.4%.
Diesel registrations also continued to contract, falling 19.5%. The powertrain accounted for just 7.1% of new EU car registrations, down from 9.3% a year earlier.
The first nine months of 2026 marked a further shift toward electrified vehicles in the EU. Hybrids remained the leading choice, but battery-electric cars moving ahead of petrol was the standout change in the market.
[source: ACEA]
