With oil prices rising and incentives holding firm, EV demand in Europe is accelerating faster than some forecasts predicted
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4 hours ago
EVs accounted for 18.8 percent of EU sales in the first two months of 2025.
Petrol car registrations collapsed 23.3 percent in February across the bloc.
BYD doubled its European sales while matching Tesla’s 1.8 percent market share.
Sales of battery-electric vehicles across the European Union continue to rise and are now nipping at the heels of petrol-powered cars. Due to the ongoing war in Iran and spiking oil prices, EV demand could jump even further. However, market conditions remain mixed, with total car registrations across the EU, Britain, and EFTA rising just 1.7 percent in February to 979,321 units, signaling only modest overall growth.
Registration data from Europe’s ACEA reveals that EVs accounted for 18.8 percent of the new car market across January and February, a notable increase from 15.2 percent over the same period last year. A total of 312,369 EVs were registered in the first two months of the year, thanks in part to France (38.5 percent increase) and Germany (26.3 percent increase).
Read: EV Buyers Didn’t Disappear, They Just Moved Somewhere Automakers Don’t Love
This growth has been supported by a surge of more affordable EV models and national incentive programs that continue to encourage adoption. However, not every European country bought more electric vehicles. In fact, EV sales declined by a significant 34.9 percent in the Netherlands and 11 percent in Belgium.
Notably, Tesla’s registrations rose 11.8 percent year-on-year, snapping a prolonged decline, though it still trailed BYD by a slim margin. Both brands held a 1.8 percent market share, while BYD’s sales more than doubled over the same period, highlighting growing pressure at the top of the EV segment.
Hybrid Boost
Hybrid vehicles remain the most popular powertrain choice in Europe, accounting for 38.7 percent of the market. This placed HEVs well ahead of cars powered solely by petrol, which have accounted for 22.5 percent of new car registrations this year.
Across February alone, battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles together represented 67 percent of registrations, up from 58.5 percent a year earlier.
Petrol car sales are also on a downward trajectory, dropping 23.3 percent in February, with France reporting a massive 48.5 percent decrease. Registrations also dropped 22.8 percent in Germany, 20.8 percent in Spain, and 18.6 percent in Italy. Last year, petrol cars had a 29 percent share of the market, and this time next year, EVs may have overtaken them if current trends continue.
Plug-in hybrids were behind HEVs, petrol cars, and EVs as the fourth most popular powertrain choice, securing a 9.8 percent share of the market, over 7.4 percent last year. Sales reached 162,751 in the first two months, thanks in part to Italy (116.1 percent increase), Spain (71.5 percent increase), and Germany (23.8 percent increase). Trailing behind PHEVs are diesel vehicles with an 8.1 percent share, down 17.7 percent, and ‘others’ with a 2.2 percent share.
