The European vehicle fleet remains overwhelmingly powered by petrol and diesel, despite strong growth in electric car sales in recent years, according to new data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
In its latest Vehicles on European Roads report, based on 2024 data, ACEA said battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for just 2.3% of passenger cars in use across the European Union. Electric vans represented 1.3% of the fleet, while electric trucks made up 0.3% and electric buses 3.2%, the association said.
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Those figures are up modestly from 2023, when BEVs accounted for 1.8% of passenger cars and 2.5% of buses, but they highlight how slowly changes in new vehicle registrations feed through into the overall fleet, ACEA noted. Vehicles typically remain in service for more than a decade, limiting the pace of structural change even as electric car sales rise.
Petrol cars still made up nearly half of the EU’s passenger car fleet in 2024, accounting for 49.2%, while diesel vehicles represented 28.4%, the report showed. Hybrids accounted for 5%, plug-in hybrids 1.4% and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles 2.7%.
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The composition of vehicle fleets varies widely by country. Germany, Europe’s largest car market, had a BEV share of 3.3% in its passenger car fleet, while Denmark and Sweden reported significantly higher electric shares at 12.1% and 7.2% respectively. Norway, which is not an EU member, stood out with 28% of its passenger car fleet fully electric.
Diesel continued to dominate commercial vehicles. Around 90% of vans and more than 96% of trucks in the EU ran on diesel in 2024, ACEA said. Electric truck penetration remained below 1% in most countries, although Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden recorded comparatively higher shares.
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Electric buses showed faster progress in some markets, particularly in northern Europe. In the Netherlands, electric buses accounted for more than 21% of the fleet, while Denmark and Sweden exceeded 10%. By contrast, the EU average remained just above 3%, reflecting the long service life of public transport vehicles.
ACEA said the EU had around 256 million passenger cars on its roads in 2024, up 1.4% from the previous year, with an average vehicle age of 12.7 years. Buses averaged 12.2 years, while trucks were older at 14 years.
The association said the findings underline that Europe’s transition to low-emission mobility will take time, even as electric vehicles gain ground in new sales, due to the slow turnover of the existing vehicle stock.