Hybrids drive modest new car sales growth in Europe
New car sales in Europe rose by 1.8% las year, according to new data, with hybrids the most popular fuel type.
Figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association found that hybrids accounted for 34.5% of all new car registrations last year, with 3,733,325 units sold.
Meanwhile, electric vehicles accounted for 17.4% of all new registrations, up from 13.6% in 2024, while plug-in hybrid sales rose to 1,015,887, which represents 9.4% of the market.
Growth was driven by strong sales in December, with electric cars sales up 51% year-on-year, plug-in hybrids rising by 37%, and hybrids up six per cent on December 2024.
The figures show a clear trend toward electrification at the expense of petrol and diesel demand.
Combined, petrol and diesel sales accounted for 35.5% of all new car sales, down from 45.2% in 2024.
Petrol sales decreased by 19% to 2,880,298 units to hold just a 27% share of the market while diesel registrations were down by 24% to a nine per cent marketshare.
