Electric vehicle sales in the EU soared by nearly 73%
The European new passenger car market showed resilience: despite a challenging macroeconomic situation, rising energy prices, and geopolitical instability, registrations of new vehicles in the EU increased by 5.7% from January to September 2026.
Demand for vehicles with various types of electrified powertrains remains high, especially in Europe’s largest markets. This is driven by government incentives for buyers and an expanding range of models.
Over the first nine months of 2026, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 22.7% of the EU market, up from 16.1% in the same period last year. Hybrid vehicles held a 36.3% market share, maintaining their lead among powertrains. Meanwhile, the combined share of gasoline and diesel vehicles dropped to 28.2%, compared to 36.9% the previous year.
Electric Vehicles and Hybrids
From January to September 2026, the EU registered 1,931,465 new electric vehicles with battery packs. Their share reached 22.7%, allowing this type of powertrain to rank second in popularity.
Three out of the four largest electric vehicle markets in the EU, which together account for 64% of all registrations of such vehicles, showed significant growth. In France, it was 79.1%, in Germany it was 58.1%, and in Denmark it was 40.3%. In Belgium, the number of registrations increased by 15.7%.
The number of new hybrid vehicles registered in the first nine months reached 3,090,530 units. Growth was driven primarily by Italy (+20.8%) and Spain (+20.5%). In Germany, the figure increased by 4.9%, while in France it rose by 0.6%. As a result, hybrids accounted for 36.3% of the EU’s new passenger car market.
Growth in the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) segment also continued. From January to September 2026, 860,257 such vehicles were registered in the EU. Italy (+72.4%), Spain (+34.7%), and Germany (+13.7%) made the biggest contributions. The share of plug-in hybrids increased to 10.1% compared to 9% during the same period in 2025.
Gasoline and diesel vehicles
The sales of new gasoline vehicles continued to decline. Over the first nine months, registrations dropped by 19.1%, with a decrease observed in all of Europe’s major markets.
The steepest decline was seen in France, at 36.1%. In Germany, gasoline vehicle registrations fell by 22.7%, in Spain by 19%, and in Italy by 16.4%.
From January to September 2026, the EU registered 1,802,078 new gasoline vehicles. Their market share dropped to 21.2% compared to 27.7% the previous year.
The diesel segment also continued to shrink, with registrations declining by 19.5%. The share of diesel vehicles in the EU’s new passenger car market fell to 7.1% from 9.3% during the same period last year.