ACEA — 2026-09-24
Automotive Industry
Hybrid-electric vehicles ranked as the most popular powertrain choice amongst buyers, while battery-electric cars accounted for 21.7% of new EU car registrations. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids captured 10% of the EU market.
New EU car registrations by power source
Up until August 2026, battery-electric cars held a 21.7% share of the EU market, up from 15.8% a year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 36.6% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among EU consumers. At the same time, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 29%, compared with 37.5% a year earlier.
Electric cars
In the first eight months of 2026, 1,641,333 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 21.7% of the EU market. Three of the four largest EU markets, which together accounted for 64% of all battery-electric car registrations, recorded strong growth: France (+74.2%), Germany (+53.1%), and Denmark (+40.9%). Belgium also posted an increase (+13.1%), albeit at a slower pace.
August 2026 YTD’s figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 2,759,718 units, supported by growth in Spain (+21%) and Italy (+20.5%), with Germany (+5.2%) and France (+1.8%) also recording increases. Overall, hybrid-electric models accounted for 36.6% of the total EU market.
Plug-in-hybrid electric car registrations continued to grow, reaching 758,082 units in January-August 2026. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets such as Italy (+77.6%), Spain (+33.9%), and Germany (+15.6%). New plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 10% of EU registrations, up from 8.8% over the same period in 2025.
Petrol and diesel cars
By the end of August 2026, petrol car registrations fell 18.6%, experiencing significant downturns across all major European markets. France saw the sharpest decline, with volumes plunging by 35.8%, while other key markets also posted double-digit losses: Spain (-18.5%), Germany (-21.9%), and Italy (-16.7%).
Accounting for 1,634,733 new cars registered over the past eight months, petrol’s market share fell to 21.7% from 28% last year. In addition, the diesel car market continued its downward trend, with registrations declining by 18.6% and representing 7.3% of new EU car registrations, down from 9.4%.