Overview
- ACEA data show 217,898 battery‑electric cars were registered in the EU in December, up about 51% year on year and narrowly ahead of 216,492 petrol cars after a 19.2% drop.
- For 2025, hybrids were the largest segment at roughly 34.5% of EU sales, battery‑electrics reached about 17.4%, and petrol‑only fell to around 26.6%.
- Electrified powertrains (BEVs, PHEVs and hybrids) accounted for 67% of EU registrations in December, as overall EU sales rose 1.8% in 2025 to 10.8 million yet remained below pre‑pandemic levels.
- Competitive dynamics shifted sharply as BYD’s EU registrations jumped roughly 230% in 2025 while Tesla’s fell around 38% for the year and 20% in December, with Volkswagen Group retaining overall market leadership.
- In December, the European Commission proposed replacing a full 2035 combustion ban with a 90% tailpipe CO2 reduction target, and analysts said EV adoption is still likely to keep growing.