Italy’s car market grows 3.2% in August as post-incentive EV demand slows
Italian passenger-car registrations rose 3.2% year on year to 69,411 in August 2026, extending the market’s run of monthly gains. Battery-electric vehicles held a 6.4% share after incentives faded, while plug-in hybrids reached about 12% and Stellantis outpaced the wider market.
Registrations rise but remain below 2019 levels
Italy registered 69,411 passenger cars in August 2026, up 3.2% from 67,290 in the same month of 2025, according to MotorBox and La Repubblica. Transport Ministry data cited by ANSA put the increase at 3.15%. The Centro Studi Promotor described August as the ninth consecutive month of growth, although the month is seasonally one of the smallest for the Italian market.
Registrations reached 1,129,596 vehicles in January-August, 8.5% above the 1,040,761 recorded a year earlier. The recovery has not restored pre-pandemic volumes: MotorBox said the eight-month total was 14.8% below 2019, while ANSA reported that August alone remained 22.2% lower. Centro Studi Promotor projects about 1.585 million registrations in 2026, a 3.9% increase from 2025 but still 17.3% below 2019.
BEVs lose incentive momentum as plug-in hybrids advance
Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 6.4% of August registrations. That was above 5.9% in July and 4.9% in August 2025, but MotorBox and La Repubblica said the earlier acceleration generated by state incentives had run its course. ANFIA President Roberto Vavassori said monthly BEV registrations were nevertheless 34% higher year on year.
Plug-in hybrids moved in the opposite direction, reaching about 12% of the market, compared with 10.5% in July and 7.1% in August 2025. Long-term rental supplied 45% of PHEV registrations, showing the importance of fleet demand. Conventional and mild hybrids remained the largest powertrain group with a 46.9% share: full hybrids represented 16.8% and mild hybrids 30.1%. Petrol fell to 20.1%, diesel to 5.8% and LPG to 8.8%.
Stellantis gains share while Chinese brands enter the top ten
Stellantis registered 18,854 cars in August, including Leapmotor, according to Dataforce figures reported by ANSA. Its volume rose 6.2%, roughly twice the overall market rate, lifting its share from 26.4% to 27.2%. Over the first eight months, the group sold 341,225 vehicles, up 14%, and increased its share from 28.7% to 30.2%.
La Repubblica reported that the Fiat Panda led the monthly model ranking with 4,685 registrations, followed by the Dacia Sandero with 2,158 and the Citroën C3 with 1,702. Jeep Avenger recorded 1,566 and Fiat Grande Panda 1,561. Chinese brands also secured two top-ten positions: the BYD Seal U placed seventh with 1,490 registrations and the MG ZS eighth with 1,316. ANFIA said China-made cars across all manufacturers increased 92.1% during January-August and captured 15% of the market, intensifying competitive pressure on European production. Dealer sentiment improved, but 77% of surveyed operators still considered current sales levels low, underlining the fragility of the recovery.