According to the latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), registrations of new electrified vehicles experienced an extraordinary increase last month.
Pure electric vehicles, in particular, saw a 51.9% growth.
With a total of 94,561 units sold, this increase represents a market share of 11.8%, which is nearly a 3% rise compared to April 2022.
The European Union market has witnessed significant gains in most of its member countries, including the two largest markets: France and Germany.
France recorded a 34.8% increase, while Germany experienced a 34.1% growth.
These impressive numbers contributed to an accumulative 45.1% increase in electric vehicle sales during the first four months of 2023, with a total of 415,579 units sold.
In addition to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles also continued to gain ground in Europe during the month of April.
With a 22.7% increase, sales of hybrid electric vehicles reached 199,407 units.
This growth is mainly attributed to double-digit increases in the four main markets of the European Union: Germany (+35.9%), France (+28.6%), Italy (+28.3%), and Spain (+14.4%).
As a result, hybrid electric vehicles now represent a market share of 24.8%, compared to the 23.7% recorded in April 2022.
However, not all vehicle categories experienced consistent growth.
Despite a modest 4.3% growth in March, the plug-in hybrid vehicle market suffered a decline in April, with a 5.5% decrease in sales.
This decline was mainly due to a significant drop in Germany, the largest market for this type of fuel, with a 45.7% decrease in sales.
Consequently, the overall market share of plug-in hybrids fell from 9.2% in April of last year to 7.4% in 2023.
These data clearly show the growing preference of European consumers for electric vehicles, especially battery electric vehicles, which have experienced a significant increase in demand.