EU new-car registrations up by 10% in February

Brussels – The EU new car market grew 10.1% year-on-year in February reaching 883,608 units, latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) show.

Among the four major EU markets, France and Italy posted second-month growth of 13.0% and 12.8%, while Spain and Germany reported gains of 9.9% and 5.4% respectively.

Year-to-date, car registrations grew by 11.2% to 1.7 million units over the two-month period, according to the ACEA data issued 21 March.

The bloc’s major markets recorded solid growth, with Germany (+11.8%), Italy (+11.7%), France (+11.2%), and Spain (+8.7%) recording strong year-to-date gains.

Breaking down the data by engine-type, ACEA said battery-electric cars held a market-share of 12% in February, similar to the level of last year.

Hybrid-electric cars captured nearly 29% of market-share, while the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars dropped from 51.9% to 48.4% in February.

While petrol cars remained the most popular 'power source' among buyers, the market share dropped from 36.9% in February last year to 35.5% this year.

Meanwhile, the EU diesel car market contracted by 5.1% during the second month of 2024, with almost all major markets recording declines in demand.

Germany was the only major market where diesel sales had a positive trend, with a growth of 9.7% year-on-year.