New car registrations: -3.9% in January 2026; battery-electric 19.3% market share

In January 2026, new EU car registrations fell by 3.9% compared to January last year, marking a second consecutive challenging start to the year for the market.

The battery-electric car market share reached 19.3%, highlighting the continued potential for further growth. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, with plug-in hybrids consolidating their position in the market, underlining the importance of a technology-neutral pathway to decarbonisation.

New EU car registrations by power source

Battery-electric cars accounted for 19.3% of the EU market share in January 2026, an increase from the low baseline of 14.9% one year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.6% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Meanwhile, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 30.1%, down from 39.5% in January 2025.

Electric cars

In January 2026, 154,230 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 19.3% of the EU market share. The four largest markets in the EU, which together account for 60% of battery-electric car registrations, delivered mixed results: France (+52.1%) and Germany (+23.8%) recorded strong growth, while Belgium (-11.5%) and the Netherlands (-35.4%) experienced declines.

January 2026 figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 308,364 units, supported by growth in Italy (+24.9%) and Spain (+9%), while France remained stable. Completing the four major markets, Germany recorded a decline of 1.8% compared with January 2025. Overall, hybrid-electric models accounted for 38.6% of the total EU market.

Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars continue to show strong growth, reaching 78,741 units in the first month of 2026. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets such as Italy (+134.2%), Spain (+66.7%), and Germany (+23%). As a result, new plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 9.8% of EU registrations, up from 7.4% in January last year.

Petrol and diesel cars

In January 2026, petrol car registrations dropped by 28.2%, with all major markets experiencing decreases. France experienced the steepest drop, with registrations plummeting by 48.9%, followed by Germany (-29.9%), Italy (-25.5%), and Spain (-22.5%).

With 175,989 new cars registered last month, the market share for petrol fell to 22% from 29.5% in the same month last year. The diesel car market continued its downward trend, with registrations declining by 22.3% and accounting for 8.1% of new car registrations last January.

About ACEA

• The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) represents the 17 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, TRATON GROUP, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
• Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.x.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.

Contact:

• Pedro Gomes Nogueira, Automotive Intelligence Manager, [email protected], +32 (0) 2 738 73 55
• Camille Lamarque, Media Relations Manager, [email protected], +32 (0) 2 738 73 16

About the EU automobile industry

• 13.6 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
• 8.1% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
• €414.7 billion in tax revenue for European governments
• €93.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
• Over 8% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
• €84.6 billion in R&D spending annually, 34% of EU total