Within the European Union, United Kingdom, and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, several major markets posted notable declines. France led the downturn with a 7.9% fall in registrations, followed by the Netherlands at 5.5%, Germany at 4.7%, and Italy at 3.6%.
In contrast, Spain bucked the trend, registering a sharp 13.9% increase in new car sales compared to the same period last year.
Electric vehicles remained a key growth driver. Sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) surged 24.9% year-over-year, reaching 1.19 million units and comprising 15.6% of total new vehicle registrations.
Germany experienced a 35.1% jump in BEV sales, while Spain and Poland saw even steeper increases of 83.9% and 60.9%, respectively.
Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) continued to dominate the market, making up 34.8% of EU registrations in the first six months. HEV sales climbed 16% year-on-year, reaching 2.38 million units.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) also registered strong performance, with a 21.2% rise in sales, totaling 591,572 units.
Meanwhile, demand for traditional combustion engine vehicles dropped sharply. Petrol-powered car registrations declined by 21.7%, accounting for just 28.4% of the market.
Diesel vehicles fared worse, with registrations plunging 27.5%, reducing their market share to 9.4%. Most European countries reported double-digit declines in diesel sales.
For June alone, the European car market contracted 7.3% year-on-year, with 1.24 million new registrations recorded.
ACEA commented on the figures, stating: “With a strong 7.3% year-on-year (YOY) decline for June, also indicative of the challenging global economic environment for auto makers. The battery-electric car market share for H1 2025 stood at 15.6%, still far from where it needs to be at this point in the transition. Hybrid-electric models continue to grow in popularity, retaining their place as the most popular power type amongst buyers.”
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