European vehicle registration data for January to August show passenger car registrations are flat, as are registrations of battery-electric vehicles which remain well below industry forecasts.
Latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Assn. (ACEA) shows that while overall European Union registrations are 0.1% down compared to the same period last year, BEV registrations stood at 15.8% January-August. Regulators had mandated an automaker share of sale of 18% on the way to a three-year delay in mandates that now require automakers to hit 25% by 2027.
However, BEV registrations rose from 12.8% in the January-August 2024 timeframe. In the first eight months of 2025, 1,132,603 new BEVs were registered with three of the four largest markets in the EU accounting for 62% of the registrations. Germany recorded a 39.2% jump in BEV registrations, Belgium rose 14.4% and those in the Netherlands increased by 5.1%. This contrasted with France, which saw a decline of 2% in BEVs registered from January-August 2025 vs. the same period year-ago, despite a positive 29.3% year-on-year gain in August 2025.
Much of the increase is being attributed to cheaper Chinese BEV imports, illustrated by BYD tripling its BEV sales in the EU in August and jumping ahead of Tesla.
ACEA data for the month reveals Tesla registrations dropping 36.6% to 1.2% of market share, while BYD’s sales were up 201.3% to give it 1.3% of the market.
Sales by MG’s Chinese owner SAIC Motor rose 59.4% in August, taking its year-to-date market share to 1.9% and making it the tenth-best seller in the economic bloc so far this year.
Meanwhile, hybrid powertrain vehicles remain the most popular power type for European consumers, capturing 34.7% of the market. August’s 2025 year-to-date figures show new EU hybrid car registrations rising to 2,485,069 units, driven by growth in the four biggest markets with France up 30.5%, Spain up 29.3%, Germany up 10.1% and Italy up 9.4%.
Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars grew, hitting 631,783 units in the same period. Spain ( up 99.9%), Germany (up 61.2%) and Italy (up 62.6%) drove the growth in registrations. Due to these figures, PHEVs represented 8.8% of EU car registrations through August 2025, up from 6.9% from like-2024.
At the same time, the combined market share of gasoline and diesel-powered cars fell to 37.5%, down from 47.6% over the same period in 2024.
Gasoline car registrations declined 19.7% in the first eight months of 2025 from year-ago, with all major markets experiencing decreases, ACEA says. France saw the biggest decline, with registrations falling 33.5%, followed by Germany, down 25.2%; Italy, 17.6% lower; and Spain, off 13.1%.
“Similarly, the diesel car market declined by 25.7%, resulting in a 9.4% share for August 2025 year-to-date,” ACEA says.
