Growth of electric cars in Europe continues, but the transition is still too slow

If you have the feeling that you are seeing more and more electric cars on the streets despite the Tesla’s setbacksthis is not just an impression, but a fact. In any case, according to the latest ACEA report, which focuses in particular on market shares and sales of new vehicles achieved during the year 2025 in Europe and the European Union.

If the figures are generally on the rise, the organization nevertheless indicates that overall volumes remain well below those pre-pandemic, and that the speed necessary for a transition to all-electric is currently far from sufficient. The fault, in particular, of hybrid vehicles, still preferred by consumers.

In 2025 in the EU, more and more new vehicles sold are electric

Firstly, ACEA reports that new vehicle registrations in October 2025 increased by 1.4% compared to the same month the previous year. Between January and October 2025, 16.4% (compared to 13.2% over the same period in 2024) of vehicles sold in the European Union are electric, or around one in six. This represents almost 1.5 million electric cars registered over the first ten months of the year.

This figure is notably enabled by four countries which represent 62% of electric car purchases: Germany (+39.4%), Belgium (+10.6%), the Netherlands (+6.6%) and France (+5.3%). If France is only a weak driver here (sorry), it is on the other hand the country recording the biggest drop in purchases of gasoline vehicles: -32.3%, when the rate for the entire EU fell by 18.3% to reach 27.4% (compared to 34% in January-October 2024).

Thus, it is hybrid vehicles (without taking into account plug-in hybrids, which are in slight decline) which prevent electric vehicles from truly taking off. In October 2025, they represent 34.6% of sales in the European Union, compared to 30.4% last year. In France, in 2025 these cars combining gasoline and battery have so far represented 44.5% of sales.