By September 2025, new car registrations across the European Union had risen by 0.9% year-to-date (YTD) compared with the same period last year, marking the third consecutive month of growth. The modest upturn has been supported by the launch of new models and a solid 10% increase in registrations during September alone. Yet, while the overall market shows signs of recovery, the electric vehicle (EV) segment remains the key driver of change—and also of lingering challenges.

Battery-electric cars maintained a 16.1% market share through September, up from 13.1% a year earlier. Despite this progress, the pace of adoption remains below what is needed to meet the EU’s climate and transition targets. In total, 1,300,188 new battery-electric cars were registered in the first nine months of 2025. Three of the bloc’s four largest markets—Germany (+38.3%), Belgium (+12.4%), and the Netherlands (+3.9%)—posted notable growth, underscoring the continued appetite for zero-emission mobility. France, however, recorded a slight 0.2% decline YTD, even though its September registrations rose 11.2% year-on-year.

Hybrid-electric vehicles continue to dominate the EU market, accounting for 34.7% of all new registrations, or 2,793,079 units. Their popularity grew across all major markets, led by France (+28.8%), Spain (+28.1%), Germany (+10.6%), and Italy (+9.2%). Plug-in hybrids also expanded their footprint, reaching 722,914 registrations and capturing 9% of the market—up from 6.9% in 2024—driven largely by exceptional growth in Spain (+105.2%), Germany (+63.9%), and Italy (+72.6%).

September 2025 data further highlighted the upward momentum of electrified vehicles, with battery-electric and hybrid-electric registrations rising 20% and 15.9% year-on-year, respectively. Plug-in hybrids, meanwhile, notched their seventh consecutive month of strong double-digit growth, increasing by 65.4%.

In contrast, traditional fuel-powered vehicles continued their sharp decline. Petrol car registrations fell by 18.7% YTD, with steep drops across major markets—France (-32.8%), Germany (-23.5%), Italy (-16.6%), and Spain (-13.2%). As a result, petrol’s market share slipped to 27.7% from 34.4% a year earlier. Diesel cars also saw a 24.7% contraction, now representing just 9.3% of new EU registrations.

Overall, while total EU car sales show moderate improvement, the figures reveal a deeper transformation underway: a steady shift from internal combustion engines toward electrified mobility. Yet, despite the momentum, the current market share of battery-electric vehicles—though growing—still trails behind the trajectory required to meet Europe’s decarbonization goals.