Sales of new hybrids once again surpass petrol models in Europe

Registrations of new hybrid cars once again surpassed those of gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe in January, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) announced today.

Registrations of these models equipped with gasoline engines and small electric motors represented 34.9% of the market, 18.4 percentage points less than in the same month of 2024.

Petrol cars are beginning to follow the trend already followed by diesel cars and suffered a sharp drop in January (minus 18.9 percentage points), particularly in France and Germany.

In January, gasoline models represented 29.4% of the market and diesel vehicles 10%, 27 percentage points less than in the same period last year.

Hybrids, which are less polluting than gasoline models and cheaper than electric ones, are regaining control of the European market after having dominated it for the first time for three months, from September to November 2024.

100% electric models increased significantly over the year (up 34%), especially in Belgium, Germany and Italy (up 126%), but remain stable compared to December, and with significant disparities depending on the country.

At European level, electric vehicles represented 15% of registrations in January, still far from the targets set for manufacturers by the European Commission: 25% in 2025 and 100% in 2035.

“It is clear that Europe still has work to do to avoid stagnation,” ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries said in a statement.

ACEA has called for a relaxation of European rules on carbon dioxide emissions, the gas most responsible for global warming, from which electric car sales targets arise.

“The EU must do everything possible to make the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the Automotive Industry a success, to enable an effective transition to zero-emission mobility while preserving our global competitiveness,” added de Vries.

The success of hybrids benefited Japan's Toyota, despite a slight drop in January (minus 4.9 percentage points), and France's Renault (plus five percentage points), which reached a market share of 10.9%.

Electric car pioneer Tesla saw sales fall by half in January, hurt by a range change and also, potentially, controversial stances taken by company owner Elon Musk.

With all vehicle types combined, sales fell 2.6% in January compared to the same month in 2024. The main European markets (Germany, France, Italy) showed declines, while Spain registered a slight recovery.