Registrations of battery-electric passenger cars in the European Union rose 37.7% year-on-year in April to 200,117 units, industry body ACEA said, as electric vehicles continued to outperform other powertrain categories in the region.
Since the start of the year, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations reached 746,899 units, giving them a 19.7% share of the EU passenger car market, according to data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
The April figures extended the strong momentum seen in March, although the pace of growth slowed slightly. In March, BEV registrations had surged 48.9% year-on-year to 234,532 units. Overall EU passenger car registrations across all drive types increased 5.1% in April, compared with 12.5% growth in March.
Battery-electric cars remained the fastest-growing drive type in April, while registrations of plug-in hybrid vehicles rose 16.4% to 95,565 units. Hybrid vehicles, including both full and mild hybrids, climbed 12% to 359,056 units.
By contrast, registrations of petrol and diesel-powered cars continued to fall sharply. Petrol car registrations declined 16.3% to 218,485 units in April, while diesel registrations dropped 17.1% to 73,982 units.
Germany remained the EU’s largest market for electric cars, recording 64,350 new BEV registrations in April, up 41.3% from a year earlier. France followed with 36,216 registrations, an increase of 41.8%.
Italy posted one of the strongest gains among major markets, with BEV registrations nearly doubling to 13,199 units, representing a 98.8% increase year-on-year. Spain registered 9,723 electric cars, up 42.8%.
Among smaller markets, Denmark recorded 13,721 battery-electric registrations, a 43.5% increase. In Sweden, electric vehicles accounted for 81.9% of the market in April. Growth in the Netherlands was more modest at 4.9%, with 9,616 units registered, while Belgium reported 13,971 registrations, up 12%.
For the January-to-April period, BEV registrations in the EU increased 33.8% year-on-year to 746,899 units. Their market share rose from 15.3% a year earlier to 19.7%, while the overall EU passenger car market expanded 4.2% to 3.79 million units.
Hybrid vehicles remained the largest category in ACEA’s statistics during the first four months of the year. Registrations of hybrid passenger cars rose 12.6% to 1.45 million units, accounting for a 38.2% market share. Plug-in hybrid registrations increased 26% to 364,067 units, lifting their share from 7.9% to 9.6%.
ACEA’s data does not distinguish between full hybrids and mild hybrids, meaning the category also includes vehicles with limited electrification capabilities that cannot operate solely on electric power.
Petrol vehicle registrations for the January-to-April period fell 17.7% to 854,843 units, while diesel registrations declined 16.1% to 292,637 units. Combined, petrol and diesel cars represented 30.2% of the EU market, down from 38.1% a year earlier.
Germany remained the largest BEV market in the bloc during the first four months of the year with 223,980 registrations, up 41.3%. France recorded 148,299 units, an increase of 48.2%, while Italy advanced 73.1% to 51,286 units. Belgium’s market grew 1.1% to 53,440 units.
According to ACEA, the four largest EU markets accounted for 64% of all new battery-electric passenger car registrations during the period.
Among manufacturers, Tesla recorded 9,169 new registrations in the EU in April, up 67.2% year-on-year. From January to April, the U.S. electric vehicle maker registered 67,389 vehicles, representing a 61.7% increase compared with the same period last year.