New EU car registrations down 3.9% in January

New car registrations in the European Union declined by 3.9% in January 2026 compared with the same month last year, marking a second consecutive challenging start to the year for the market, according to the latest industry data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) continued to gain traction, achieving a 19.3% share of the EU market in January – up from 14.9% a year earlier – reflecting growing consumer interest and broader electrification trends.

Despite the growth in BEV uptake, hybrid-electric vehicles remained the dominant choice among buyers, capturing 38.6% of registrations, while the combined share of traditional petrol and diesel cars slipped to just 30.1%, down from 39.5% in January 2025.

A total of 154,230 new battery-electric cars were registered in the EU last month. Among the bloc’s four largest markets – which together account for around 60% of BEV registrations – performance was mixed: France saw strong growth of 52.1% year-on-year, Germany recorded a 23.8% increase, while Belgium and the Netherlands experienced declines of 11.5% and 35.4% respectively.

Hybrid-electric registrations reached 308,364 units in January, supported by notable growth in Italy (+24.9%) and Spain (+9%), with France’s figures stable. Germany was the only major market in the group to see a slight fall (-1.8%) in hybrid registrations.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) also continued to expand their footprint, with 78,741 units registered across the EU. The strongest gains came in Italy (+134.2%), Spain (+66.7%) and Germany (+23%), lifting the PHEV share to 9.8%, compared with 7.4% a year earlier.

Registrations of petrol-powered cars tumbled 28.2% in January, with all major markets posting significant declines. France experienced the steepest drop (-48.9%), followed by Germany (-29.9%), Italy (-25.5%) and Spain (-22.5%). As a result, petrol vehicles accounted for 22% of new car registrations, down from 29.5% in January 2025.

Diesel car registrations also fell sharply, declining 22.3% year-on-year and making up just 8.1% of the market.