EU Car Registrations Drop 1.9% in First Half of 2025, Electric Cars See Growth

Strategic Insights -

The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association reported a 1.9% decline in new car registrations in the EU for the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The decline in overall registrations was accompanied by a growth in electric car sales, with battery-electric cars capturing 15.6% of the market share, up from 12.5% in the first half of 2024. Hybrid-electric models continued to be the most popular choice among EU consumers, with a market share of 34.8%.

Key Takeaways:

  • New EU car registrations dropped by 1.9% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
  • Battery-electric cars accounted for 15.6% of the EU market share in the first half of 2025, up from 12.5% in the same period in 2024.
  • Hybrid-electric models retained their position as the most popular power type among EU consumers, with a market share of 34.8% in the first half of 2025.
  • Petrol and diesel car registrations declined sharply, with petrol car registrations down 21.2% and diesel car registrations down 28.1% in the first half of 2025.
  • The four largest markets in the EU – Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France – accounted for over 60% of battery-electric car registrations, with Germany seeing a gain of 35.1% and France experiencing a decline of 6.4%.

Statistics:

  • 869,271 battery-electric cars were sold in the first half of 2025, capturing 15.6% of the EU market share.
  • Hybrid-electric car registrations reached 1,942,762 units in the first half of 2025, driven by growth in the four biggest markets: France (+34.1%), Spain (+32.8%), Italy (+10%), and Germany (+9.9%).
  • Plug-in-hybrid electric car registrations increased to 469,410 units in the first half of 2025, driven by increases in volume for key markets such as Germany (+55.1%) and Spain (+82.5%).
  • The market share of plug-in-hybrid electric cars reached 8.4% of total EU car registrations in the first half of 2025, up from 6.9% in June 2024.

Sources:

  • European Automobile Manufacturers' Association news release on new car registrations, July 24.
  • "New Car Registrations: -1.9% in H1 2025; Battery-electric 15.6% market share" on the ACEA website.