The ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association) has just published the figures for electric car sales in Europe. Concerning the EU, registrations decreased by 5.9% last year compared to 2023. For the French car market alone, the ACEA reported a decrease in electric car sales of 2.6%.
After the global figures were published a few days ago by the British firm Rho Motion, here are the data relating to electric car sales for Europe just revealed by the ACEA. According to Rho Motion, BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) registrations increased by 25% internationally in 2024, with a 40% increase in China. While Rho Motion reported a 3% decrease in BEV sales (electric cars) for Europe in 2024, the ACEA indicates a decrease of 5.9%. Why this difference? Simply because Rho Motion took into account sales from the EU (European Union), the EFTA (European Free Trade Association: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), and the UK (United Kingdom) to arrive at this figure of -3%. To be precise, if we look at the figures published by the ACEA, we notice that the decrease goes from 5.9% (EU only) to 1.3%, the latter figure taking into account the EU, EFTA, and the UK.
In the details of the European car markets, France saw its electric car sales drop by 2.6% (290,614 registrations), while Germany posted a decrease of 27.4% (380,609 registrations). Among the “top performers” in Europe, the Czech Republic saw its BEV sales increase significantly (+63.5%), but with a low sales volume: 10,920 registrations.
In market share, BEVs accounted for 13.6% of sales in 2024, while HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), simple hybrids (30.9% market share), were the most popular among European buyers. HEV sales increased by 20.9% for the EU from January to December 2024. Concerning PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), their registrations fell by 6.8% in 2024.
Finally, when government incentives are reduced or simply removed, as in Germany, to encourage the purchase of electric cars, sales do not follow. As you might have guessed, it is the HEV-type cars that represent, in the short and medium term, the choice of consumers.
The editorial team
Photos: ACEA and LesVoitures.com / TheCarsNews.com
