Electric car sales recovered strongly in the second quarter of 2026, with Europe emerging as the fastest-growing major market. However, Belgium’s figures reveal a more nuanced picture.
The country remains one of Europe’s leaders in battery-electric market share, but growth is slowing, and adoption remains heavily dependent on company cars.
The latest figures come from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report “Electric Car Markets in a Time of Uncertainty”, published on 30 July. The analysis covers sales and registrations through June 2026 and updates the IEA’s Global EV Outlook published in May.
35% higher than in 2025
Global electric car sales in the second quarter were 35% higher than in the first three months of 2026. That headline figure requires some caution, however. Compared with the second quarter of 2025, sales grew by only 4%, while global first-half volumes remained approximately 1% below last year.
The global weakness was largely caused by slower sales in China and the United States. Europe moved in the opposite direction, supported by stricter CO2 targets, new incentive schemes, and a broader selection of electric models.
The IEA definition includes both battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids. According to harmonized ACEA registration data, these two categories represented 30.5% of new car registrations in the European Union during the first half of 2026. Battery-electric cars alone accounted for 20.7% of the market.
Belgium above the EU average
Belgium performed considerably better than the EU average. Battery-electric cars accounted for 36.1% of Belgian registrations, almost matching the Netherlands at 36.5% and remaining well ahead of Luxembourg at 29.2%, France at 28.2%, and Germany at 24.8%.
Including plug-in hybrids, the Netherlands remains the clear regional leader, with plug-in vehicles representing 60.5% of registrations. Belgium followed at 41.8%, ahead of Germany at 35.8%, Luxembourg at 35%, and France at 33.8%.
The Dutch advantage is almost entirely explained by plug-in hybrids, which represented 24% of registrations. Belgium’s PHEV share was only 5.7%, meaning the two countries were effectively level in terms of fully electric adoption.
Belgium’s high market share nevertheless hides slowing momentum. Battery-electric registrations increased by 8.2% during the first half of the year, from 76,980 to 83,282 units. However, PHEV registrations fell by 36.7%, resulting in total plug-in registrations declining slightly compared with 2025.
Purchase support for private buyers
Germany and France are growing much faster from a lower base. German BEV registrations increased by 48%, while France recorded growth of 62.9%.
Both countries introduced or expanded purchase support for private buyers, whereas Belgium no longer offers a general federal or Flemish subsidy for private electric car purchases.
Belgium’s EV transition continues to be driven mainly by the company-car market. Battery-electric models represented approximately 59% of professional registrations in the first half of 2026, compared with just over 10% among private buyers. Nearly seven out of ten new electric cars were registered by companies or professional users.
The difference is largely fiscal. Fully electric company cars remain up to 100% tax deductible in Belgium, while combustion-powered company cars are gradually losing their deductibility.
Private households receive far less direct support and continue to face concerns about purchase prices, home charging, and resale values.
450,000 BEVs
High registration shares also do not mean that the Belgian vehicle fleet is already predominantly electric. At the end of 2025, Belgium had almost 450,000 battery-electric cars, representing about 7.5% of the total passenger-car fleet.
The next stage of Belgian adoption will therefore depend increasingly on private buyers and the used-car market. Growing numbers of electric company cars are reaching the end of their leasing contracts, but BEVs still represented only 5.9% of second-hand registrations during the first half of 2026.
