EU new car registrations up 4%, but BEV market shrinks

Brussels – New EU car demand rose 4.3% year-over-year in June, driven by hybrid-electric vehicles which saw market share increase from 25% to 30%.

New car registrations totalled 1,089,925, representing gains in three major markets of Italy, Germany and Spain, which reported growths of 15.1%, 6.1%, 2.2% respectively.

In contrast, France saw a decline of 4.8% year-on-year last month, data by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows.

In the first half of 2024, new car registrations increased by 4.5%, reaching nearly 5.7 million units.

The figure, however, remains 18% lower than the pre-pandemic levels, ACEA reported 18 July.

The bloc’s largest markets all showed positive but modest performance, with Spain (5.9%), Germany (5.4%), Italy (5.4%), and France (2.8%) all recording growth.

In June, battery-electric cars accounted for 14.4% of the EU car market, down from 15.1% the previous year.

At the same time, hybrid-electric vehicles increased their market share, growing from 24.4% to 29.5%.

The combined share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 47.1%, down from a prior-year 49.6%.