EU battery electric vehicle sales see a January jump, driven by Germany

Passenger car registration numbers in the EU fell by 2.6% on an annual basis in January, hitting a four-month low of 831,201 units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). 

France and Italy were behind much of the fall, with registrations dropping 6.2%, while Italian passenger car registrations fell 5.8%. Germany also experienced a decline of 2.8%. On the other hand, new car registrations in Spain surged by 5.3%.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sales soar in January

Battery electric vehicles accounted for 15% of the EU car market in January 2025, up from 10.9% in the same month last year. BEV sales surged 34% last month to 124,341 units, mainly driven by German car registrations, which grew 53.5%. 

Belgian car registrations increased 37.2%, with registrations in the Netherlands also advancing 28.3%. These three countries together made up 64% of overall battery electric vehicle registrations in the EU in January. 

EU battery electric vehicle sales have been robust, mainly due to a better availability of EV models, as well as more government support and a growing consumer shift towards electrification. However, this trend may change as the impact of the EU's recently increased tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles becomes clearer.

Hybrid-electric car registrations jump driven by strong French performance

Hybrid-electric vehicles made up about 34.9% of the total EU car market in January, while also being the most popular choice for buyers in the bloc. New hybrid-electric vehicle registrations in the EU advanced 18.4% in January, mainly driven by robust growth in France, where registrations jumped 52.2%, as well as Spain, with an increase of 23.5%. 

Hybrid-electric vehicle registrations also rose 13.7% in Germany in January, as well as 10.6% in Italy. 

However, plug-in hybrid electric car registrations declined by 8.5% in January this year to 61,406 units. This fall was mainly because of vital markets such as Belgium, where registrations dropped 66.6%, as well as France, which saw a plunge of 54%. Plug-in hybrid electric cars currently account for 7.4% of overall EU car sales.  

Petrol and diesel car registrations plunge on overall weak performance

In January, petrol car registrations plummeted 18.9% due to all key markets seeing lagging performance. France experienced the largest fall, with registrations dropping 28.2%, while Germany saw petrol car registrations drop 23.7% as well. 

Similarly, Italian petrol car registrations fell 17%, while Spanish petrol car registrations also declined 11.1%. 

In January, 244,763 petrol cars were registered, with the market share for these types of cars falling to 29.4% of the total EU car market. In comparison, petrol cars accounted for 35.4% of the market in January 2024. The diesel car market also dropped by 27% in January.