Electric Vehicles Take 21.3% of EU New Car Market by November

EU new car data from ACEA shows EV registrations reaching a 21.3% share in November 2025, as hybrids grow and petrol and diesel sales continue to fall.

The European car market is showing signs of cautious recovery, but the real story lies not in total volumes, rather in how demand is changing. From January to November 2025, new car registrations in the EU increased by just 1.4% year over year and remain well below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, electrified vehicles are rapidly reshaping the market.

November marked a turning point. Battery-electric vehicle registrations jumped by more than 44% year over year, giving BEVs a 21.3% share of the monthly market. Over the first eleven months of the year, around 1.66 million electric cars were registered across the EU, securing a 16.9% market share. EVs are no longer a niche segment, although further growth will be needed to meet long-term transition goals.

The surge was driven primarily by the EU’s largest markets. Germany recorded the strongest increase, while Belgium, the Netherlands and France also posted solid gains. Together, these four countries accounted for nearly two thirds of all BEV registrations in the EU, highlighting how demand remains concentrated in Europe’s largest economies.

Hybrid vehicles continue to play a central role. More than 3.4 million hybrids were registered during the same period, lifting their market share to 34.6%. Spain and France stood out with particularly strong growth, underlining the appeal of transitional powertrains. Plug-in hybrids also gained momentum, pushing their share to 9.3% as several major markets reported sharp increases.

In contrast, internal combustion engine cars are losing ground at an accelerating pace. Petrol registrations fell by almost 19% year to date, while diesel sales dropped by more than 24%. Petrol’s share declined to 27% and diesel to just 9%, with the steepest declines seen in the largest EU markets.

Overall, the data point to a structural shift in Europe’s automotive landscape. While total sales volumes remain subdued, the strong performance of electric and hybrid vehicles in November suggests that electrification is moving from gradual adoption to a defining force in the market’s evolution.