In April 2026 year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations increased by 4.2%, despite ongoing geopolitical factors that are heightening uncertainty and downside risks.
The market continued to benefit from strong consumer demand for a range of electrified technologies, supported by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, while the battery-electric car market share reached 19.7%. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids captured 9.6% of the market.
New EU car registrations by power source
Up until April 2026, battery-electric cars accounted for 19.7% of the EU market, an increase from 15.3% a year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.2% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Moreover, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars declined to 30.2%, down from 38.1%.
Electric cars
In the first four months of 2026, 746,899 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 19.7% of the EU market. Three of the four largest EU markets, which together represented 64% of all battery-electric car registrations, posted strong growth: Italy (+73.1%), France (+48.2%), and Germany (+41.3%). By contrast, Belgium (+1.1%) experienced only subdued growth. (....)