EU car market expands in August as EV sales continue to rise

ISTANBUL

The EU passenger car market grew by 5.3% in August compared to the same month last year, with 677,786 new automobile registrations, according to data released Thursday by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

In Europe, including the EU, the European Free Trade Association, and the UK, the new sales also rose 4.7% year-on-year to 791,349 units in the same period.

Among the EU’s major car markets, Spain led with a 17.2% increase, followed by Germany at 5%. However, the Netherlands and Italy bucked the trend, both posting a decline of 2.7%.

Electric vehicles continued to drive market growth. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales surged 30.2% year-on-year in August, reaching 120,797 units and accounting for 17.8% of total new car sales. Spain saw a 160.8% surge in BEV sales, while Germany and France recorded gains of 45.7% and 29.3%, respectively.

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) further cemented their dominance, accounting for 33.9% of the EU market in August. Registrations of HEVs rose 14.1% to 229,970 units.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) also showed robust growth, with sales climbing 54.5% to 70,545 units.

In contrast, traditional internal combustion engine vehicles saw sharp declines. Petrol car registrations fell 16.3%, while their market share was at 26.3%.

Meanwhile, diesel car registrations dropped 17.5%, reducing their market share to 8.8% in August. Double-digit declines were recorded in most EU markets.