European Car Registrations Show Mixed Results for First Half of 2025
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In the first half of 2025, the European car market exhibited a mix of growth and decline, with some countries seeing a significant increase in new car registrations, particularly in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (EVs), while others experienced a drop in traditional petrol and diesel vehicle sales.
Countries with Strong Growth in New Car Registrations
Spain emerged as a frontrunner in the growth of new car registrations, with a 15.2% year-on-year increase in June, amounting to 119,125 registrations. Spain also recorded a 13.9% increase in registrations for the first six months of 2025, making it the country with the highest number of hybrid registrations in June, with 46,639 new models [1][2].
The Netherlands and Germany also showed strong growth, albeit more moderate. The Netherlands experienced a 7.3% increase in new car registrations in May 2025, while Germany showed mixed performance overall but had strong growth in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with a 44.9% rise in battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations in May 2025 and a 55.1% increase in PHEV registrations in H1 2025 [1][2].
Italy, despite a slight decline in overall registrations in May (-0.1%), saw a 56.3% rise in PHEVs in H1 2025, pointing to growth in electrified vehicle segments even if total registrations dipped [1][2].
Countries with Decline in New Car Registrations
Belgium and France experienced a decline in new car registrations, with Belgium recording an 11.7% drop in total car registrations in May 2025, despite a positive share of BEVs. France saw a 7.1% decline in total new car registrations, along with the steepest drop in petrol car registrations (-33.7%) and a substantial decline in diesel vehicle sales [1][2].
Romania saw the largest ICE sales decline in June, with petrol nosediving by 66.1% and diesel falling by 61.8%.
Summary of Trends
In the first half of 2025, more than 1.94 million full and mild hybrids have been delivered across the EU, amounting to a market share of 34.8%. EV registrations command a 24% share of the EU new-car market, with over 1.34 million units. Adding hybrids to the powertrain mix makes up a 58.8% share of the overall market in the first half of 2025. Together, BEVs and PHEVs accounted for 26% of the overall market in June, up 5.6 percentage points (pp) compared with the same period in 2024 [1][2].
Of the 27 EU member states, 12 registered growth in June, marking an increase of 10.2pp compared with the first half of 2024. EU BEV registrations increased by 7.8% year-on-year in June, making up 16.7% of new-car volumes. PHEVs saw a 41.6% year-on-year increase in June, amounting to a 9.3% market share [1].
In conclusion, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany showed strong growth in new car registrations driven particularly by electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, while Belgium, France, and some others saw declines, especially in traditional petrol and diesel vehicles. The EU overall experienced a slight decline of 1.9% in new car registrations in the first half of 2025 [1][2].
[1] [Source] [2] [Source]
- The strong growth in the automotive industry, specifically electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (EVs), is evident in countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, as they have witnessed remarkable increases in new car registrations.
- On the contrary, traditionally fueled vehicles, such as petrol and diesel cars, have experienced a significant drop in countries like Belgium and France, contributing to a decline in new car registrations in these regions.
- Overall, the EU has seen a mix of results in the first half of 2025, with a slight decline of 1.9% in new car registrations, but a significant increase in the market share of hybrids and electric vehicles, making up 58.8% of the overall market.
