New car sales in the European Union increased by 5.1% in April compared to the same month last year, while fully electric vehicles raised their accumulated market share to 19.7%, up from 15.3% the previous year.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) announced today in a statement that a total of 972,314 new vehicles were registered in April across the EU, a market that continued to benefit from the “strong demand for a range of electrified technologies,” driven by tax incentives in several European countries despite persistent geopolitical uncertainty.
Between January and April 2026, registrations grew by 4.2%, reaching 3.79 million units, the European automotive industry association indicated in a press release.
By engine type, non-plug-in hybrids consolidated their leadership in the EU during the first four months of the year, with a market share of 38.2%, compared to 19.7% for purely electric vehicles and 9.6% for plug-in hybrids.
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Meanwhile, gasoline and diesel vehicles continued to lose ground, representing a combined total of 30.2% of registrations, down from 38.1% the previous year.
Registrations of purely electric vehicles grew by 33.8% in the year-to-date total, reaching 746,899 units, driven primarily by Germany (+41.3%), France (+48.2%), and Italy (+73.1%).
Plug-in hybrids increased by 26%, with strong growth recorded in Italy (+99.2%) and Spain (+64.3%).
By manufacturer, the Volkswagen Group maintained its leadership in the EU between January and April with a 26.7% market share, followed by Stellantis (17.1%) and the Renault Group (10.1%).
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Several Chinese automakers stood out among the fastest-growing brands.
BYD recorded a 152.9% increase in its EU registrations during the first months of the year, reaching 71,863 units and a market share of 1.9%, while Chery saw a jump of 267.1% to 48,364 vehicles and 1.3% of the market. Tesla also increased its sales by 61.7% to 67,389 units, capturing a market share of 1.8%.
Similarly, the Chinese group Geely, which also includes brands such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co, and Smart, increased its registrations by 0.7% to 96,551 units, achieving a market share of 2.5%.
