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Electric Vehicles Push EU Car Sales Up By 12.5%

Overall sales rose 12.5 per cent in March from the same month last year to 1.16 million vehicles, according to registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

By Channels Television
Updated April 23, 2026
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Sales of new cars jumped last month in the European Union as consumers turned to electric vehicles as petrol prices soared due to the war in the Middle East, data showed Thursday.

Overall sales rose 12.5 per cent in March from the same month last year to 1.16 million vehicles, according to registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

That jump helped the market attain a four per cent rise for the first quarter overall following declines in January and February.

Sales of fully electric vehicles soared by 49 per cent, with plug-in hybrids also jumping 20 per cent.

 

(FILES) In an aerial view, brand new Tesla cars sit in a parking lot at the Tesla factory on October 19, 2022, in Fremont. (Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

 

Over the first quarter, hybrids were the top choice of European consumers, accounting for 37 per cent of overall sales.

Plug-in hybrids accounted for another 10 per cent of market share.

 

READ ALSO: Tesla Reports Higher Profits, Confirms Hefty Spending Ahead

The market share of simple petrol motor vehicles slumped to 23 per cent in the quarter, down from 28 per cent a year earlier.

Fully electric vehicles accounted for just over 19 per cent of overall sales.

The ACEA noted the sales performance of electric vehicles varied strongly by country, with Italy, France, and Germany posting strong gains.

Petrol prices spiked throughout Europe after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, resulting in a near block on oil exports from the Gulf and leading Iran to retaliate by attacking energy facilities throughout the region.

 

READ ALSO: Eurozone Business Activity Falls On Mideast War

 

Electric cars at an EV charging station are seen in the background past other vehicles waiting to refuel at a petrol station in Naypyidaw on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

 

Meanwhile, sales in Belgium and the Netherlands fell.

The Volkswagen group kept its top spot in the EU market in the first quarter, with its market share dipping to 26.4 per cent despite its sales edging higher.

That was primarily due to Stellantis, whose Fiat, Citroen, and Opel brands saw sales surge and boost the group’s market share.

Another major European car manufacturer, Renault, saw sales slide in the first quarter due to transportation problems affecting its low-cost Dacia brand.

Sales of Teslas jumped nearly 60 per cent from the first quarter of last year, when Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration turned off European consumers.

 

AFP

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