Electric vehicles and hybrids continued to gain ground across Europe in the first five months of 2026, as consumers increasingly turned away from petrol and diesel-powered cars despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty weighing on the broader economic outlook.
New car registrations in the European Union rose 4% year-to-date through May, supported by strong demand for electrified vehicles and the continued impact of tax incentives and support schemes across several key markets. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 20% of all new registrations, up from 15.3% a year earlier, while hybrid-electric models strengthened their position as the region’s dominant powertrain, capturing 37.8% of the market.
The growing popularity of electrified vehicles came at the direct expense of conventional engines. Petrol and diesel cars together represented just 30.1% of new registrations through May, down sharply from 38% during the same period last year. Petrol vehicles alone saw registrations tumble 18.2%, reducing their market share to 22.4% from 28.5%, while diesel’s share slipped to 7.6% from 9.5%.
Battery-electric vehicle adoption accelerated across most major European markets. Nearly 951,000 new electric cars were registered during the first five months of the year. Italy posted the strongest growth among the largest markets, with registrations jumping 75.7%, followed by France at 55.4% and Germany at 40.9%. Belgium recorded more modest growth of 2.8%.
Hybrid-electric vehicles remained the preferred choice for European buyers, with registrations reaching almost 1.8 million units. Growth was led by Italy and Spain, where registrations rose 24.5% and 19.5%, respectively. Germany and France also contributed to gains. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid vehicles continued to expand their footprint, accounting for 9.7% of the market, up from 8.3% a year earlier, with particularly strong growth in Italy, Spain and Germany.
The decline in traditional combustion-engine vehicles was broad-based across the bloc. France recorded the steepest drop in petrol registrations, plunging 36.8% from a year earlier, while Spain, Germany and Italy all posted declines exceeding 17%. The figures underscore how rapidly European consumers are embracing electrified alternatives, reinforcing a structural shift in the region’s automotive market as battery-electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles capture an ever-larger share of new car sales.