Battery electric vehicle registrations in the EU rose to 1.64 million units in the first eight months of 2026, lifting their market share to 21.7%, up from 15.8% in the same period last year, according to ACEA.

New car registrations across the European Union increased by 5.3% year-on-year through August, according to the figures, as demand for electrified vehicles remained strong amid higher energy prices and continued geopolitical uncertainty.

The growth in battery electric cars was particularly strong across several of the EU’s largest markets. France recorded a 74.2% increase in BEV registrations, followed by Germany at 53.1% and Denmark at 40.9%. Belgium also posted growth, with registrations increasing by 13.1%.

Together, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium accounted for 64% of all new battery electric car registrations in the EU during the first eight months of the year.

Electrified vehicles gain ground

Battery electric cars were not the only electrified powertrain to expand. Hybrid electric vehicles remained the most popular choice among EU consumers, with 2,759,718 units registered between January and August. Their market share reached 36.6%, supported by increases in Spain (+21%) and Italy (+20.5%), while registrations also grew in Germany (+5.2%) and France (+1.8%).

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle registrations reached 758,082 units over the same period, representing 10% of the EU market, compared with 8.8% a year earlier. Italy recorded the strongest growth among the markets highlighted, at 77.6%, followed by Spain at 33.9% and Germany at 15.6%.

Overall, the combined share of electrified vehicles continued to increase as conventional powertrains lost ground. Petrol and diesel cars together accounted for 29% of new EU registrations through August, down from 37.5% a year earlier.

Petrol and diesel registrations decline

Petrol car registrations fell by 18.6% through August, with declines across the main European markets. France recorded a 35.8% drop, while registrations fell by 21.9% in Germany, 18.5% in Spain and 16.7% in Italy.

A total of 1,634,733 new petrol cars were registered during the first eight months of 2026, reducing their market share from 28% to 21.7%.

Diesel registrations also declined by 18.6%, bringing their share of new EU car registrations down to 7.3%, compared with 9.4% in the same period of 2025.

The figures point to continued growth in demand for electrified powertrains, with battery electric cars accounting for more than one in five new cars registered in the EU through August 2026.