Electrification is increasing in Europe, as hybrids will overtake pure petrol cars in new car sales for the first time in 2025.
In the European Union (EU), 1.88 million vehicles were registered last year, up 1.8% from 2024, although still well below pre-pandemic levels, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), reported by AFP.
Sales of hybrid cars grew by 13.5% and accounted for 34.5% of total EU sales last year, ahead of petrol cars at 26.6%. In terms of fully electric vehicles, sales of electric cars increased by 30% to 17.4% of new car sales. Sounds good, but ACEA says this comes from a weak 2024 and electric vehicle sales need to rise further to stay on track with the EU’s transition goals.
Taking diesel cars into account, the overall ICE share is marginally higher than hybrid cars at 35.5%, but this has fallen sharply from 45.2% in 2024 as sales of both petrol and diesel cars fell.
No surprises about who tops the list in Europe: the Volkswagen Group saw sales rise 5.5% last year, extending its lead as the continent’s top-selling carmaker. French Renault (also owner of Dacia) experienced similar growth, but Stellantis – owner of brands such as Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat – saw turnover fall by 4.7%.
The big news last year was that China has arrived and national champion BYD has tripled its sales in the EU, albeit on a small basis in 2024. Shanghai-based SAIC, owner of the MG brand, saw sales increase by a third. In contrast, Tesla saw sales fall by almost 38% last year due to reputational damage in Europe – boss Elon Musk is an outspoken supporter of far-right parties such as the German AfD.
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