ADVERTISEMENTEV sales jumped by almost one quarter, giving a boost to the entire European car market in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, as the European car manufacturing industry continues to grapple with uncertainty due to trade tensions across the globe.
“In Q1 2025, new EU car registrations declined by 1.9% compared to Q1 2024, with March 2025 figures showing a slight 0.2% year-on-year decline as the global economic context remains particularly challenging and unpredictable for auto makers”, said the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
In the first three months of 2025, new EV sales jumped by 23.9% in Europe, amounting to 412,997 units. Meanwhile, the market share of battery electric vehicles increased to 15.2% from 15% in January.
Three of the four largest markets in the EU, accounting for 63% of all EV sales, recorded robust gains: Germany (+38.9%), Belgium (+29.9%), and the Netherlands (+7.9%). This contrasted with France, which saw a decline of 6.6%.
The sales of hybrid-electric cars also rose sharply, by 20.7%, driven by demand in France, where sales jumped by 47.5% in the first three months. Spain, Italy and Germany also recorded double-digit growth in this segment. A total of 964,108 units registered, which means that this category has gained 35.5% of the EU market share in the first quarter.
Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars grew by 1.1% in the same period, largely due to an increased interest in this category in Germany and Spain.
Petrol cars declined significantly, registrations in the first three months lowered by 20.6% in a yearly comparison, with France experiencing the steepest drop, with registrations plummeting by 34.1%, followed by Germany (-26.6%), Italy (-15.8%), and Spain (-9.5%).
Similarly, the diesel car market declined by 27.1% in the first quarter of 2025, with double-digit declines in most EU markets.
Which brands saw the biggest increase in their sales?
The German carmaker giant Volkswagen AG recorded a stronger beginning of the year than in 2024, the newly registered VW models in the EU were up by 4.8% in the first three months compared to the previous year, the most popular model proving to be the Cupra.
Stellantis recorded -14% on their newly registered models in the EU for the same period, Mercedes-Benz also declined by 6.2%, BMW slightly increased its numbers (0.4%) and French Renault Group saw newly registered models going up by 9.5%.
Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer SAIC Motor saw a 52.3% jump in its newly registered models in the EU in the first three months of 2025. However, Tesla recorded a 45% drop for the same period.
