According to the US-based online media outlet on electric vehicles and renewable energy, CleanTechnica, the Renault 5 was France’s best-selling battery-electric vehicle both in December and across the full year, with 37,997 registrations in 2025.  That’s nearly double the 19,207 units of the Tesla Model Y, making it the clear market leader in France’s EV transition.

That is no small feat. The Model Y has been Europe’s benchmark high-volume EV for several years, yet in France it was decisively beaten by a compact, retro-inspired domestic hatchback priced more accessibly.

That headline performance is part of a broader shift in the French market. CleanTechnica reports that plug-in vehicles (BEVs plus plug-in hybrids) reached 26.7% of all new registrations in France in 2025, up from 25.4% in 2024.

France performing above average

BEVs alone climbed to 20.0% share, while plug-in hybrids fell back to 6.7%. December’s figures were stronger still, with plug-ins at 34.4% and BEVs at 24.4%, suggesting acceleration toward year-end even as the total car market contracted.

Compared with the wider European Union, France is performing above average but not leading outright. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reports that BEVs accounted for 17.4% of EU registrations in 2025, up from 13.6% a year earlier.

France’s BEV growth of roughly +12.5% places it among the bloc’s four largest EV markets alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Yet what distinguishes France is not just volume, but the role of domestic brands in driving that volume.

Mostly French brands

The full-year French top ten BEV ranking underscores Renault’s breadth. After the Renault 5 (37,997 units) and the Tesla Model Y (19,207), the Renault Scénic E-Tech followed with 16,128 registrations, while the Renault Mégane E-Tech added 8,752.

Three Renault models, spanning compact hatchback, family SUV and crossover segments, placed in the national top ten. No other brand matched that range at the top of the French BEV market.

French manufacturers more broadly were highly visible. The Peugeot e-208 (14,290 units) and Peugeot e-2008 (8,231) both ranked strongly, while Citroën’s ë-C3 also featured prominently.

In total, French brands occupied the majority of the leading positions, suggesting that France’s EV transition is being anchored by familiar domestic nameplates rather than dominated by imports.

Driven by policy

France’s EV sales pattern in 2025 was not driven by brand appeal alone, but also by policy design. The country’s bonus écologique and related schemes provided several thousand euros in purchase support for eligible battery-electric vehicles, with higher aid for lower-income households and additional premiums for cars assembled in Europe with European batteries.

Because these incentives are most advantageous in lower and mid-price segments, they disproportionately benefited compact, domestically produced models such as the Renault 5, Peugeot e-208 and Citroën ë-C3. The result is a market where national industrial policy, affordability thresholds and consumer familiarity align — helping French brands dominate the top of the EV rankings.

German brands on top in Belgium

Belgium presents a different pattern. With BEVs accounting for roughly 34–35% of new registrations in 2025, Belgium’s EV share is markedly higher than France’s.

However, its top ten list is dominated by premium German models such as the BMW iX1, Audi Q6 e-tron, Audi Q4 e-tron and Volkswagen ID variants, alongside the Tesla Model Y.

French brands are largely absent from Belgium’s top tier. The contrast reflects Belgium’s strong company-car culture and tax-driven fleet demand, which favors higher-priced models.

Taken together, the 2025 data suggest two distinct electrification pathways. Belgium is advancing rapidly in percentage terms, propelled by corporate fleets and premium imports.

France, meanwhile, is normalising EVs through mass-market domestic successes. The Renault 5’s decisive lead over the Tesla Model Y encapsulates this dynamic: a competitively priced, locally branded EV winning mainstream buyers at scale.