EU car market expands 1.8% in 2025 as EV sales continue to rise
EU passenger car sales rose 1.8% in 2025 to 10.63 million units, driven by strong growth in electric and hybrid vehicles, industry data showed. Battery-electric car sales jumped nearly 30%, while petrol and diesel registrations saw sharp declines across most markets.
- Tech
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:39 | 27 January 2026
The EU passenger car market grew by 1.8% in 2025 compared to the previous year, with 10.63 million new automobile registrations, according to data released Tuesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
In Europe, including the EU, the European Free Trade Association, and the UK, the new sales also rose 2.4% year-on-year to 12.96 million units in the same period.
Among the EU's major car markets, Spain led with a 12.9% increase last year, followed by the Netherlands with 1.7%.
Electric vehicles continued to drive market growth. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales surged 29.9% year-on-year in 2025, reaching 1.88 million units and accounting for 17.4% of total new car sales.
Spain saw a 77.1% surge in BEV sales, while Italy and Germany saw 44.2% and 43.2%, respectively.
Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) further cemented their dominance, accounting for 34.5% of the EU market last year. Registrations of HEVs rose 13.7% to 3.73 million units.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles also showed robust growth, with sales climbing 33.4% to 1.01 million units.
In contrast, traditional internal combustion engine vehicles saw sharp declines. Petrol car registrations fell 18.7%, while their market share was down to 26.6%.
Diesel car registrations also dropped 24.2%, reducing their market share to 8.9% last year. Double-digit declines were recorded in most EU markets.