Registrations of new electric cars in the European Union rose 30.2% year-on-year in August, according to industry association ACEA, as battery-powered vehicles expanded their market share despite flat overall car sales. U.S. carmaker Tesla, however, bucked the trend with a sharp decline in deliveries.
A total of 120,797 fully electric cars were registered in the EU during August, giving the segment a 15.8% market share, up from 12.6% a year earlier. Including figures from the UK and EFTA states, 159,810 new EVs were registered across Europe, meaning one in five cars sold was fully electric.
Germany was the region’s largest market, with 39,367 new EVs (+45.7%), followed by the UK, France, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Spain also stood out, with registrations more than doubling to 7,032 (+160.8%).
From January to August, EU registrations of fully electric cars reached 1.13 million units, up 24.8% from the same period in 2024, ACEA data showed. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles also gained ground, while petrol and diesel models posted double-digit declines.
Tesla’s performance contrasted with the overall trend. The company registered 8,220 cars in the EU in August, down 36.6% from 12,966 a year earlier. Deliveries for the first eight months of 2025 fell 42.9% year-on-year to 85,673 vehicles, compared with 150,037 in the same period of 2024, ACEA said.