Research conducted by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has found that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sales in the European Union (EU) grew by 34% month-on-month to 124,341 in January 2025.
This represents a 15% market share in the EU despite a decline of 2.6% in new car registrations. Notable decreases were observed in France, with a drop of 6.2%, Italy at 5.8%, and Germany at 2.8%. In contrast, Spain experienced a rise in car registrations, showing a month-on-month increase of 5.3%.
In the region, three of the four largest markets for BEVs accounted for 64% of all registrations and experienced significant double-digit growth. Germany saw an increase of 53.5%, Belgium rose by 37.2%, and the Netherlands grew by 28.2%. However, France experienced a slight decline of 0.5%.
The figures correlate with the positive uptake of EVs among drivers in Europe’s second-largest market, the UK. Recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that 27,700 battery EVs—21.5% of the market—were registered in January 2025. This represented the best-ever start to a year.
Plug-in hybrid EVs see 18.4% increase
In January 2025, new registrations of hybrid-electric cars in the EU rose by 18.4%. This increase was driven by substantial growth in the four largest markets: France saw a jump of 52.2%, Spain increased by 23.5%, Germany grew by 13.7%, and Italy rose by 10.6%. As a result, 290,014 hybrid-electric vehicles were registered, accounting for 34.9% of the EU market.
Registrations of plug-in hybrid electric cars fell by 8.5%in the same month, totalling 61,406 units. This decline was primarily influenced by substantial decreases in major markets, including Belgium, which saw a drop of 66.6%, and France, which reduced 54%. Consequently, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles now account for 7.4% of total car sales in the EU.
France’s decline in BEV registrations has been widely attributed to the introduction of a weight tax on plug-in hybrid EVs, which led to significant numbers of people buying these vehicles ahead of the tax coming in, skewing the results somewhat.
In the UK, SMMT figures released in early February showed that petrol car registrations dropped 15.3%, taking just over half of the new car market in January this year. There is a similar trend in mainland Europe, where petrol car registrations declined 18.9%, with all significant markets showing decreases.
France saw the most significant decline in car registrations, which fell by 28.2%. This was followed by Germany, with a decrease of 23.7%, Italy at 17%, and Spain with a drop of 11.1%. In total, 244,763 new cars were registered last month, leading to a decline in the petrol market share to 29.4%, down from 35.4% during the same month the previous year.
The diesel market also suffered a substantial decline of 27%, resulting in a market share of just 10% for diesel vehicles last January. Overall, most EU markets experienced double-digit declines.
It is worth noting that 2025 started strong for global EV registrations. Research firm Rho Motion revealed earlier this month that around 1.3 million EVs were sold worldwide in January 2025, 18% higher than the volume sold in January 2024. Although every market saw declines from the record-high EV sales in December 2024, individual markets have noted year-on-year sales increases of between 12% and 50%.
