EU car registrations rise 5.7% in first half as electric demand accelerates
EU passenger-car registrations increased 5.7% year on year to 5.89 million vehicles in the first half. Fully electric and plug-in hybrid models drove growth, while gasoline and diesel registrations contracted.
Electric models drive first-half growth
Passenger-car registrations in the European Union rose 5.7% year on year to 5.89 million vehicles in the first half, supported by stronger demand for electric models. The figures, reported by Forbes Romania, were released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, which represents 16 major European automakers.
Registrations of fully electric cars increased 40.5% to 1.22 million units. Plug-in hybrid registrations rose 22.5% to 577,735 vehicles. Together, the two categories accounted for about 1.80 million registrations, showing that electrified powertrains supplied a substantial part of the market’s overall expansion.
Gasoline and diesel lose ground
The growth in electrified vehicles contrasted with another sharp contraction in conventional powertrains. Gasoline-car registrations fell 17.2% to 1.309 million units, while diesel registrations declined 16.5% to 439,592. Fully electric registrations therefore moved closer to gasoline volumes and were almost three times the diesel total during the period.
Performance differed across the EU’s major national markets. Registrations increased 9.5% in Italy, 5.8% in Germany and 5.2% in Spain. France recorded a more limited increase of 1.8%. Romania’s market was almost unchanged: 64,850 passenger cars were registered, compared with 64,820 in the corresponding period a year earlier.
Automakers record divergent results
Volkswagen Group registrations grew 2.6% to 1.559 million vehicles, leaving the German group well ahead of any individual electric category by volume. Stellantis, the parent company of Fiat, Peugeot and Opel, posted growth of 6%. Renault Group registrations fell 4.2%, while registrations of its Dacia brand declined 8.8% to 262,511 units.
Chinese brands expanded much faster from their existing bases. According to the ACEA data cited by Forbes Romania, Leapmotor registrations jumped 526.7%, Chery increased 268.7% and BYD advanced 168.2%. These rates far exceeded the market’s 5.7% growth and indicate that competition is intensifying in Europe’s fast-growing electric segment. The first-half figures point to a broader recovery in total registrations, but the gains were uneven: electric-focused brands and markets with stronger growth advanced, while combustion-engine demand and several established manufacturers remained under pressure.
