New car registrations: +4.2% in April 2026 year-to-date; battery-electric 19.7% market share
In April 2026 year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations increased by 4.2%, despite ongoing geopolitical factors that are heightening uncertainty and downside risks.
The market continued to benefit from strong consumer demand for a range of electrified technologies, supported by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, while the battery-electric car market share reached 19.7%. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids captured 9.6% of the market.
New EU car registrations by power source
Up until April 2026, battery-electric cars accounted for 19.7% of the EU market, an increase from 15.3% a year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.2% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Moreover, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars declined to 30.2%, down from 38.1%.
Electric cars
In the first four months of 2026, 746,899 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 19.7% of the EU market. Three of the four largest EU markets, which together represented 64% of all battery-electric car registrations, posted strong growth: Italy (+73.1%), France (+48.2%), and Germany (+41.3%). By contrast, Belgium (+1.1%) experienced only subdued growth.
April 2026’s YTD figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 1,447,864 units, supported by growth in Italy (+25.5%) and Spain (+19.7%), with Germany (+6.6%) and France (+2.3%) also contributing positively. Overall, hybrid-electric models accounted for 38.2% of the total EU market.
Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars continued to grow, reaching 364,067 units in the April 2026 YTD. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets such as Italy (+99.2%), Spain (+64.3%), and Germany (+17.6%). Therefore, new plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 9.6% of EU registrations, up from 7.9% over the same period in 2025.
Petrol and diesel cars
By the end of April 2026, petrol car registrations declined by 17.7%, with decreases across all major markets. France recorded the sharpest drop, with registrations plummeting by 36.6%, whereas other key markets also saw double-digit decreases: Spain (-18.6%), Italy (-18%), and Germany (-17.2%).
With 854,843 new cars registered in the last four months, the market share for petrol fell to 22.5% from 28.5% in April 2025 YTD. In addition, the diesel car market continued its downward trend, albeit at a slower pace, with registrations declining by 16.1% and accounting for 7.7% of new car registrations.
In April 2026 year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations increased by 4.2%, despite ongoing geopolitical factors that are heightening uncertainty and downside risks.
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