Registrations of cars in the European Union (EU) in July reached 852,051 units, a mere 0.2% increase compared to the same month last year, while battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales fell by 10.8% to 102,705 units, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
In the first seven months of 2024, new vehicle registrations increased by 3.9%, reaching over 6.5 million units, according to the European trade association.
The largest markets in the bloc showed positive but modest performance: Spain (+5.6%), Italy (+5.2%), Germany (+4.3%), and France (+2.2%) recorded growth.
In July 2024, BEV registrations fell by 10.8% to 102,705 units, reducing their total market share to 12.1% from 13.5% the previous year.
ACEA notes that despite gains in Belgium (+44.2%), the Netherlands (+8.9%), and France (+1%), the decline in Germany (-36.8%) could not offset the decrease across the entire bloc of countries.
From January to July, 815,399 new BEVs were registered, representing 12.5% of the market.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) registrations decreased by 14.1% last month, despite a 3.2% increase in Germany.
In July, PHEVs accounted for 6.8% of the total car market, down from 7.9% the previous year, with 57,679 units sold.
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) saw growth in July, with a 25.7% increase in registrations, reaching 273,003 units. The four largest markets in this segment recorded double-digit increases: France (+47.4%), Spain (+31.5%), Germany (+22.4%), and Italy (+17.4%).
This growth raised the market share of HEVs to 32%, up from 25.5% in July 2023.
In July 2024, sales of petrol cars fell by 7%. Modest growth in key markets like Italy (+3.8%) and Germany (+0.1%) could not offset declines in France (-22.6%) and Spain (-12.5%). Petrol cars now represent 33.4% of the market, down from 35.9% in July last year.
The diesel vehicle market recorded a 10.1% decline, resulting in a market share of 12.6% in July. While Germany experienced a moderate gain of 1.4%, substantial declines were observed in other major markets such as Italy (-24.6%), France (-23.9%), and Spain (-11.6%), according to the association.
Thus, last month, battery electric cars represented 12.1% of the EU automotive market, down from 13.5% the previous year. Hybrid electric vehicles increased their market share from 25.5% to 32%.
The combined share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 46%, down from 50%.
