According to data from the Association of European Car Manufacturers (ACEA), new EU car registrations increased by 4% in Q1 2026, driven largely by March’s strong performance (+12.5%). The market was supported by robust consumer activity, bolstered by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries.

Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, while the battery-electric car market share reached 19.4%. “Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids continued to strengthen their position, underlining the importance of a technology-neutral pathway to decarbonization,” stresses ACEA.

By power source

Battery-electric cars accounted for 19.4% of the EU market share in Q1 2026, an increase from 15.2% one year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.6% of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Moreover, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 30.3%, down from 38.2% in Q1 2025.

Electric

In the first quarter of 2026, 546,937 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 19.4% of the EU market share. The four largest markets in the EU, which together account for over 60% of battery-electric car registrations, delivered mixed results: Italy (+65.7%), France (+50.4%), and Germany (+41.3%) recorded strong growth.

In contrast, Belgium (-2.3%) experienced a decline. This is largely due to a major dip (almost 20%) in sales in the professional market (where most of the BEVs are sold), partly compensated by a rise in individual sales, also accelerated by a successful Brussels Motor Show in January. Many individual buyers are not yet inclined to purchase fully electric in Belgium at the moment.

Hybrid

Q1 2026’s figures also showed new EU hybrid-electric car registrations rising to 1,089,421 units, supported by growth in Italy (+25.8%) and Spain (+18.5%), with Germany (+7.4%) and France (+3.1%) also contributing positively. Overall, hybrid-electric models accounted for 38.6% of the total EU market.

Registrations of plug-in hybrid electric cars continue to grow, reaching 268,344 units in the first three months of 2026. This was driven by rising volumes in key markets, including Italy (+110.1%), Spain (+74.2%), and Germany (+19.3%). As a result, new plug-in-hybrid electric cars now represent 9.5% of EU registrations, up from 7.6% in Q1 2025.

Petrol and diesel

By the end of the first quarter of 2026, petrol car registrations decreased by 18.2%, with declines across all major markets. France saw the most significant contraction, with registrations plummeting by 40.3%, whereas other key markets also saw double-digit
decreases: Italy (-18.6%), Spain (-18.1%), and Germany (-16.1%). With 636,502 new cars registered in the last three months, the market share for petrol fell to 22.6% from 28.7% in Q1 2025.

The diesel car market also continued its downward trend, albeit at a slightly slower pace, with registrations declining by 15.7% and accounting for 7.7% of new car registrations in Q1 2026, down from over 9% in Q1 2025.

The same tendencies are observed in the EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland) and the UK, with a notably higher interest in PHEVs in the UK (+46.6%), contrasting with the practical disappearance of that drive in Norway (-90.6%). In the latter country, normal hybrid cars are even more suffering: -95.6%. The Norwegian car market is the only market here to record a sales decline (-15.5%) in Q1 YTD.

By make

Once again, the Volkswagen Group is confirming its leading status; its sales are up 7.8% in March, but its market share is slightly down to 25.6% (from 26.7% in March last year). This indicates that others have also been doing well. Inside the Group, Skoda (+21.2%) and Audi (+18.5%) are doing well, but Porsche continues its downhill slide (-14.5%).

Stellantis group stays second, with sales up 6.8% overall, and brands like Fiat (+26.7%, Citroën (+18.3%), Opel/Vauxhall (+22.9%), and Lancia/Chrysler (+15.3%) performing very well. Peugeot (-10.6%) and Alfa Romeo (-17.2%) are more on the concern side, as is DS, with its continuous decline (-6.7% in March). The group’s market share is slightly declining (from 16.8% to 16.0%).

Renault Group holds firmly on to third position, increasing sales by 3.9%, but its market share is also diminishing, from11.7% to 10.8%. The battle for fourth place has been hard this March, resulting in a new winner: BMW Group. It saw its sales grow by 19.8% and overtook Hyundai by 95 cars (out of almost 80,000 each). Both brands have 6.8% market share, but BMW is rising from 6.4%, while Hyundai is declining from 7.2%. Sixth is now the Toyota group, with a 6.5% market share.

Mercedes-Benz stays comfortably seventh, with a slight sales increase (+3.8%), and a 4.9% market share. Nissan (-3.8%) and Ford (-14.5%) are both losing sales, so the battle for eighth place is going to someone else, Tesla. The American electric brand seems to have finally recovered from its big sales slump and saw its March sales more than double (+101.9%), ending up with a 3.2% market share (up from 1.8% last year). Nissan (2.7% share) precedes Ford (2.2%) for ninth place.

Just under the top ten, we see the two biggest Chinese appearing. SAIC Motor captures 11th place, with a 6% sales increase and a 2.0% market share, overtaking Volvo (1.9%), while BYD (13th) is again taking a giant leap forward (1.8% market share, up from 0.8%) with a 155.2% sales increase.

The last two brands still reaching more than 1% are Mazda (1.6%, +37.4% in sales) and Suzuki (1.3%, -5.5% in sales). Land Rover saw another small sales hike (+15.3%) and remains 16th. Honda (17th) is increasing its sales by 21% and overtakes Mitsubishi (18th), which is confronted with a serious sales decline (-38.9%).

Cumulated

When we look at the first quarter as a whole, the top three are the same, with VW Group by far the biggest (26.4% market share), followed by Stellantis Group (17.3%), and Renault Group (10.1%). Here, the battle for fourth place is still won by the Toyota Group, with 7.2% market share (down from 7.7%), followed by the Hyundai Group (6.9%, down from 7.4%) and the BMW Group (6.7%, up from 6.6%).

Mercedes-Benz remains firmly in seventh place with a 4.8% market share, followed by Ford and Nissan. With its phenomenal sales increase in March, Tesla has returned to the top ten and now has a 2% market share (up from 1.3% in Q1 2025). SAIC Motor and Volvo Cars (both with 2.0% market share) are fighting a tough battle for 11th place, with the Chinese brand ahead. The other Chinese brand, BYD, increased its market share from 0.7% to 1.8% over one year and saw sales increase by 169.7%.

Suzuki is 14th (1.4% market share), Mazda follows with 1.3%, and Land Rover (just) wins the battle for 16th place from Honda.

When we add the figures of the EFTA countries and the UK to those of the EU, nothing changes in the top three, but fourth is Hyundai Group here, followed by BMW Group and then Toyota Group. Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Nissan stay in place, but here SAIC Motor holds 10th place, followed by Volvo Cars, Tesla, and BYD, all four entangled in a tight battle for that spot.