New car registrations: +5.7% in H1 2026; battery-electric 20.7% market share

New EU car registrations rose by 5.7% year-to-date, with a strong performance in June contributing to a positive first half of 2026. This came against a backdrop of persistent geopolitical headwinds weighing on the outlook.

The market continued to benefit from robust consumer demand for a range of electrified technologies, driven primarily by market support measures. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular powertrain choice among buyers, while battery-electric cars reached 20.7%. In addition, plug-in hybrids captured 9.8% of the EU market.

New EU car registrations by power source

Up until June 2026, battery-electric cars held a 20.7% share of the EU market, up from 15.6% a year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 37.3% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. At the same time, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 29.7%, compared with 37.8% a year earlier.

Electric cars

In the first half of 2026, 1,220,890 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 20.7% of the EU market. Three of the four largest EU markets, which together accounted for 63% of all battery-electric car registrations, experienced strong growth: France (+62.9%), Germany (+48%), and Denmark (+41.2%). Belgium also posted an increase (+8.2%), albeit at a more moderate pace.

H1 2026's figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 2,198,148 units, supported by growth in Italy (+23%) and Spain (+20.8%), with Germany (+6.9%) and France (+3.2%) also recording increases. Overall, hybrid-electric models accounted for 37.3% of the total EU market.

Registrations of plug-in-hybrid electric cars continued to grow, reaching 577,735 units in H1 2026. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets such as Italy (+84.3%), Spain (+39%), and Germany (+17.9%). New plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 9.8% of EU registrations, up from 8.5% over the same period in 2025.

Petrol and diesel cars

By the end of June 2026, petrol car registrations declined by 17.2%, with decreases across all major markets. France registered the strongest drop, with volumes falling by 34.2%, while other key markets also posted double-digit decreases: Spain (-18.5%), Germany (-18.2%), and Italy (-17.1%).

With 1,309,153 new cars registered in the first six months of 2026, the market share for petrol fell to 22.2% from 28.4% in H1 2025. Meanwhile, the diesel car market continued its downward trend, with registrations declining by 16.5% and accounting for 7.5% of new car registrations, down from 9.4%.

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

ACEA ecosystem

ACEA:intelligence is the new intelligence structure of ACEA closely aligned with its spirit. Its mission is providing advanced automotive datasets, market analysis and strategic insights across European mobility markets. Learn more at ACEA:intelligence.

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