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.

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