EU Car Registrations Hit More Than 6-Year High

2026-04-23 04:10 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

EU passenger car registrations surged 12.5% year-on-year to an over six-year high of 1.2 million units in March 2026, accelerating sharply from 1.4% growth in the previous month, supported by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries.

Growth was seen across the bloc’s four largest markets: Germany (16.0%), Spain (11.7%), Italy (7.6%), and France (12.9%).

In the first quarter of the year, new EU car registrations rose 4%, driven largely by March’s strong performance.

Meanwhile, the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) segment continued to gain traction, with its market share rising to 19.4% year-to-date from 15.2% a year earlier.

In March alone, BEV registrations soared 48.9% year-on-year to 234,532 units, signalling a shift from combustion engines amid surging fuel costs.

Growth was recorded in Italy (72.1%), France (68.8%), Germany (66.2%), and Denmark (48.4%).

Last year, total EU car registrations rose 1.8% compared with 2024.



News Stream
EU Car Registrations Hit More Than 6-Year High
EU passenger car registrations surged 12.5% year-on-year to an over six-year high of 1.2 million units in March 2026, accelerating sharply from 1.4% growth in the previous month, supported by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries. Growth was seen across the bloc’s four largest markets: Germany (16.0%), Spain (11.7%), Italy (7.6%), and France (12.9%). In the first quarter of the year, new EU car registrations rose 4%, driven largely by March’s strong performance. Meanwhile, the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) segment continued to gain traction, with its market share rising to 19.4% year-to-date from 15.2% a year earlier. In March alone, BEV registrations soared 48.9% year-on-year to 234,532 units, signalling a shift from combustion engines amid surging fuel costs. Growth was recorded in Italy (72.1%), France (68.8%), Germany (66.2%), and Denmark (48.4%). Last year, total EU car registrations rose 1.8% compared with 2024.
2026-04-23
EU Car Registrations Rise in February
EU passenger car registrations rose 1.4% year-on-year to 865,437 units in February 2026, rebounding from a 3.9% decline in the previous month, supported by growth across most of the bloc’s four largest markets, including Germany (3.8%), Spain (7.5%), and Italy (14.0%). In contrast, France recorded a sharp drop (-14.7%). In the first two months of the year, new EU car registrations edged down 1.2%. Meanwhile, the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) segment continued to gain traction, with its market share rising to 18.8% year-to-date from 15.2% a year earlier. In February alone, BEV registrations jumped 20.6% year-on-year to 158,280 units, driven by strong growth in Germany (28.7%), France (27.8%), Denmark (26.1%), and Italy (81.3%). Last year, total EU car registrations increased 1.8% compared with 2024.
2026-03-24
EU Car Registrations Fall for First Time in 7 Months
EU passenger car registrations dropped 3.9% yoy to a five-month low of 799,625 units in January 2026, reversing a 5.8% rise in the previous month and marking the first contraction since June. The bloc’s four largest markets all posted declines: Germany (-6.6%), France (-6.6%), Spain (-33.8%), and Italy (-16.2%), highlighting broad-based weakness at the start of the year.However, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations jumped 24.2% from a year earlier. Growth was driven by strong gains in Germany (23.8%), France (52.1%), Denmark (52.7%), and Italy (40.7%). About 154,230 new BEVs were registered, accounting for 19.3% of the total EU market share, up from 14.9% a year ago. In 2025, overall EU car registrations rose 1.8% compared with 2024.
2026-02-24