In 2025, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 17.4% of all car sales in the European Union, up 4 percentage points from the previous year.
If considering the UK and the EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland), the share jumps to 19.5% — which indicates that nearly one in every five vehicles sold across Europe was fully electric.
Data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) on Tuesday showed that hybrid vehicles remained the preferred choice among consumers across the 27 States of the European Union, representing 34.5% of new vehicle sales (one in each three vehicles).
Hybrid sales accounted for 3,733,325 vehicles, with Spain, France, Germany and Italy representing the largest growth for the segment.
Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids (PHEV) continue to grow, reaching 1,015,887 units in the EU during the same period. They represent 9.4% of the market.
The market share of internal combustion engine vehicles fell from 45.2% to 35.5%.
December Figures
In December, BEV registrations in the European Union rose 51% year over year, while PHEVs increased by 36.7%.
A total of 217,898 fully electric vehicles were sold across the EU, reaching a 22.6% share. Plug-in hybrid sales reached 102,914 units, accounting for 10.7% of the market.
Including the UK and EFTA countries, BEV sales totaled 308,955 units and PHEVs 123,460 units, corresponding to market shares of 26.3% and 10.5%, respectively.
The growth in battery electric sales was mostly driven by Norway, where fully electric vehicles accounted for 95% of all cars sold in 2025.
In the UK, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that BEVs made up 23.4% of new car sales last year, while PHEVs accounted for 11.1%.
Sales by Brand
China’s giant BYD, which sells both fully electric and plug-in electric vehicles, expanded further across the globe last year, tripling its sales in Europe when compared to 2024.
In the EU market, its sales jumped from 39,303 vehicles to 128,827 units.
With the UK and EFTA countries, sales reached 187,657 vehicles, a 268.5% surge from a year before.
Last year, BYD exported a total of 1 million new energy vehicles (NEV), which suggests that European sales accounted for about 18% of those.
The company aims to achieve 1.3 million sales outside China this year, a 24.3% increase year over year.
In Europe, BYD competes with China’s state-owned SAIC Motor, which produces both internal combustion engine and electric vehicles.
SAIC‘s brands — which include MG and Maxus — registered 305,717 vehicles across Europe last year, with 211,014 of them having been in the EU.
Year-over-year growth ranged between 25% and 35%, reflecting the fact that these brands are more established in the European market.
MG is the best-selling Chinese car brand in Europe. Originally a British marque, it was acquired by the Chinese automotive group in 2007.
Other Chinese carmakers in the continent include Chery, XPeng, Geely (and Geely Holding Group’s brands Lotus, Lynk & Co, Polestar, and Zeekr), Nio, among others.
However, ACEA does not include data from sales of these brands.
Data compiled by EV shows that Nio sold about 1,300 vehicles in Europe last year, while Polestar registered nearly 46,500 units.
While BEV sales continued to grow in Europe, Tesla — one of the pioneers in the segment — saw a sharp decline in registrations across several key markets last year.
In the European Union, Tesla registered 150,504 fully electric vehicles, down 37.9% from 242,436 units the previous year.
The decline was less pronounced when the UK and EFTA countries are included, with registrations totaling 238,656 vehicles across Europe — a 26.9% year-over-year decrease.
This difference was largely driven by Norway, where Tesla recorded its highest-ever sales last year.
In Germany, Europe’s largest auto market, Tesla sales nearly halved last year to 19,390 units.
Volkswagen Group, which spans from budget brands like Škoda and SEAT to high-end marques such as Porsche, remained Europe’s leading automaker with a 26% market share.
