Passenger car sales in the European Union rose 4% in the first five months of the year from a year earlier, driven by strong demand for electric and hybrid vehicles, industry data showed TurkicWorld reports via AA.
New car registrations in the EU reached 4.75 million units in the January-May period, up from 4.56 million in the same period last year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
Across the broader European market, including the EU, the European Free Trade Association and the UK, sales increased 4.5% to 5.82 million units.
Among major EU markets, Italy posted the strongest growth with a 9.4% rise to 789,802 units, followed by Spain with a 5.8% increase to 519,283 units.
Germany, the bloc’s largest auto market, saw registrations rise 3.6% to 1.18 million units, while France recorded a slight decline of 0.6% to 668,378 units.
Battery-electric vehicles led the expansion, with registrations surging 35.7% year-on-year to 950,521 units. Their market share rose to 20% of total new car sales in the EU.
Germany remained the largest EU market for battery-electric cars, with registrations climbing 40.9% to 283,949 units. France followed with a 55.4% rise to 185,711 units.
Italy saw battery-electric sales jump 75.7%, while Spain recorded a 40% increase.
Hybrid-electric vehicles continued to hold the largest share of the EU market. Registrations rose 12.1% to 1.79 million units, accounting for 37.8% of total sales.
Plug-in hybrid vehicle sales also increased strongly, climbing 22.1% to 460,217 units.
In contrast, petrol and diesel vehicles continued to decline. Petrol car registrations fell 18.2% to 1.06 million units, reducing their market share to 22.4%.
Diesel registrations dropped 16.6% to 361,971 units, with their share falling to 7.6%.
In May alone, total car sales in the EU rose 3.2% year-on-year to 955,012 units.
