Europe’s new-vehicle registration figures recorded a decline of 1.2% in February 2026 year-to-date compared to the first two months of 2025, although data for the month of February itself was slightly up with growth of 1.4%.
While the results appear less alarming than the 3.9% reported in January, the YTD drop sets the scene for a challenging year, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) in its March 24 release.
One bright spot was with battery-electric vehicles, which recorded a market share of 18.8% compared to the same period last year of 15.2%.
From January to February 2026, 312,369 new BEVs were registered with the four largest markets in the European Union accounting for 61% of registrations. However, there were mixed results with increases of 38.5% in France and 26.3% in Germany, while Belgium’s BEV registrations slumped by 11% and the Netherlands by 34.9%.
Hybrid-electric vehicles remained the most popular powertrain type choice among consumers, achieving 38.7% of the total EU market.
February 2026 YTD figures showed new registrations rose to 643,898 units thanks to growth in Italy, up 29.5%, and Spain rising 13.4%, while Germany remained quite stable, up 1.1%. However, France recorded a decline of 3.9% compared with the first two months of 2025.
Registrations of plug-in hybrid cars continued to show strong growth, reaching 162,751 units in the first two months of 2026. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets such as Italy, up 116.1%; Spain, up 71.5%; and Germany growing by 23.8%. As a result, these represented 9.8% of EU registrations, up from 7.4% in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the combined market share of gasoline and diesel cars fell to 30.6%, down from 38.7% over the same period in 2025.
In February 2026 YTD, gasoline-car registrations dropped by 23.3% to 374,774 new cars registered with a market share of 22.5%, down from 29% the previous year. All major markets saw decreases with France experiencing the steepest drop, down 48.5%, followed by Germany, off 22.8%; Spain, down 20.8%; and Italy dropping 18.6%.
The diesel-car market continued its downward trend, with registrations declining by 17.7% and accounting for 8.1% of new-car registrations from January to February 2026.
