BRUSSELS: Car sales across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association rose 4.7% in August to 800,000 units, according to data released Thursday by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Volkswagen and Renault posted year-on-year gains of 4.8% and 7.8%, respectively, while Stellantis saw a 2.2% increase — its first growth since February.
Tesla’s registrations in the EU plunged 36.6%, reducing its market share to 1.2% from 2% a year earlier. In contrast, Chinese automakers surged ahead. BYD’s sales soared 201.3%, lifting its share to 1.3%. SAIC Motor, owner of MG, jumped 59.4%, securing a 1.9% market share and ranking as the bloc’s tenth best-selling brand year-to-date.
Overall EU car sales rose 5.3%. Electrified vehicles continued to gain traction, with battery electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid registrations climbing 30.2%, 54.5% and 14.1%, respectively. Together, they accounted for 62.2% of total registrations, up from 52.8% in August 2024.
Up until August 2025, battery-electric cars accounted for 15.8% of the EU market share, an increase from the low baseline of 12.6% in August 2024 YTD. Hybrid-electric car registrations continue to surge, capturing 34.7% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among EU consumers. Meanwhile, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 37.5%, down from 47.6% over the same period in 2024.
Electric cars
In the first eight months of 2025, 1,132,603 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 15.8% of the EU market share. Three of the four largest markets in the EU, accounting for 62% of battery-electric car registrations saw gains: Germany (+39.2%), Belgium (+14.4%), and the Netherlands (+5.1%). This contrasted with France, which saw a decline of 2%, despite a positive 29.3% YOY gain in August 2025.
August 2025 YTD’s figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 2,485,069 units, driven by growth in the four biggest markets: France (+30.5%), Spain (+29.3%), Germany (+10.1%), and Italy (+9.4%). Hybrid-electric models account for 34.7% of the total EU market.
Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars continue to grow, reaching 631,783 units in the same period. This was driven by increases in volume for key markets such as Spain (+99.9%) and Germany (+61.2%), but also Italy (+62.6%). As a result, plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 8.8% of EU car registrations, up from 6.9%.
The YOY variation in August 2025 showed a rise of 30.2% for battery-electric and 14.1% for hybrid-electric cars, while plug-in-hybrid electric recorded its sixth consecutive month of continuous strong growth with a 54.5% increase.
Petrol and diesel cars
By the end of August 2025, petrol car registrations declined by 19.7%, with all major markets experiencing decreases. France experienced the steepest drop, with registrations plummeting by 33.5%, followed by Germany (-25.2%), Italy (-17.6%), and Spain (-13.1%).
With 2,012,580 new cars registered so far, the market share for petrol dropped to 28.1% from 34.9% the same period last year. Similarly, the diesel car market declined by 25.7%, resulting in a 9.4% share for August 2025 YTD. Additionally, the August 2025 YOY variation showed a 16.3% decline for petrol and 17.5% for diesel.