Electric vehicles captured 29.2% of Europe’s market in August. Poland is leading the way.
In August 2026, electric vehicles accounted for 29.2% of new registrations in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and EFTA countries. Data from ACEA and ICCT show a 23.2% share from January to August. Poland is falling behind and slowing further, as its share dropped from 5.1% over the entire period analyzed to 4.8% in August.
Benzine and diesel are losing ground, but hybrids are also gaining market share
A year earlier, electric vehicles held 20.2% of the market in August, with their share at 17.7% after eight months. The current 29.2% in August represents a rise of 9 percentage points. ICCT reports a rounded 23% for the January-August period, while ACEA calculates 23.2%
In August, gasoline vehicles accounted for only 18.5% of registrations, while diesel vehicles made up 5.8%. Electric cars thus surpassed both types of propulsion when considered separately. When combining gasoline and diesel, the picture is less impressive: since the beginning of the year, internal combustion engine vehicles accounted for 27.9% according to ACEA or 29% according to ICCT, compared to 23-23.2% for electric cars.
The trend remains clear. After eight months of 2025, gasoline and diesel together accounted for 35.8% of the European market. They thus lost nearly 8 percentage points over the year.
The largest group remains hybrids, which also include mild hybrid systems. In August, they accounted for 32.8% of the market, and from January to August, 36.3%. The previous year, this figure was 34.7%. Europe is moving away from traditional internal combustion engines, but not every buyer switches immediately to a plug-in car.
BMW Electrifies Sales, Volkswagen Shifts Production
Among European manufacturers, BMW Group has the highest share of electric vehicles. From January to August, electric cars accounted for 30 percent of its sales, 10 percentage points higher than the previous year. ICCT attributes this result mainly to interest in the new BMW iX3.
Volkswagen, on the other hand, is in a situation where it must reduce production of gasoline-powered cars in Germany and increase the assembly of electric vehicles. Following the success of the ID. Polo, the brand has received more orders for electric models than gasoline-powered ones in its home market. This is the first time such a situation has occurred in Volkswagen’s history. The Renault 5 also performs well, being one of the few new electric vehicles targeting a more affordable price segment.
The differences between countries are enormous. In Norway, electric vehicles accounted for 98 percent of new registrations from January to August, 82 percent in Denmark, 50 percent in Finland, 47 percent in Iceland, and 43 percent in Sweden. At the other end of the spectrum was Croatia with a rate of 4 percent. Poland, at 5.1 percent, is slightly higher and is one of the few countries that does not benefit from European incentives.
Europe can currently show 98 percent electric vehicle penetration in Norway and just 4 percent in Croatia. What would need to change for Poland’s 4.8 percent figure to even approach Europe’s 23.2 percent?
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