The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) released vehicle registration figures for the European Union (EU), highlighting that in August, the market share of EVs exceeded 20% for the first time (compared to 11.6% in August of the previous year).
Specifically, registrations of this technology increased by 118.1%, reaching 165,165 units, which represents 21% of the market.
Furthermore, it surpassed diesel for the second time this year, becoming the third most popular choice among new car buyers.
It’s worth mentioning that, except for Malta (-22.6%), all EU markets experienced double and triple-digit percentage growth, with Germany, showing remarkable growth of 170.7%, being the largest market in volume.
On the other hand, Belgium recorded the highest growth rate at 224.5%.
Overall, EV sales increased significantly by 62.7%, with nearly 1 million units registered from January to August.
On the other hand, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) maintained their position as the second choice for buyers, with a market share of 24%.
While gasoline cars remain the most popular choice, their market share decreased from 38.7% in August of the previous year to 32.7%.
In August, new registrations of BEVs increased by 29%, primarily driven by strong growth in three of its four largest markets: Germany (+59%), France (+38.7%), and Spain (+21.5%). In contrast, Italy saw a slight decrease (-2.3%).
This resulted in a cumulative increase of 28.6%, with nearly 1.8 million units sold between January and August, equivalent to a quarter of the market.
It’s worth mentioning that last month, new BEV registrations in the EU grew by 5.5%, totaling 58,557 units. Solid performance in key markets such as the Netherlands (+44.7%), France (+40.5%), and Sweden (+24.9%) helped offset the decline in Germany (-41.1%), the largest market for this energy source.
Read more: Von der Leyen Announced Probe into Chinese EV Subsidies
Gasoline and diesel cars
In August, the EU’s gasoline car market increased slightly by 2.1%, although its market share decreased from 38.7% to 32.7% compared to August of the previous year.
Strong performance in Italy (+25.3%) and France (+21.5%) mainly drove this growth, while most markets within the bloc declined.
On the contrary, the EU’s diesel car market continued its decline in August (-6%), despite growth in Germany (+9.2%) and markets in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Slovakia (+22.6%) and Romania (+19.4%).
Diesel cars now have a market share of 12.5%, down from 16.1% in August of the previous year.
