Sales of new cars in the European Union increased by 4.3% in June.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) revealed on Thursday that new car sales increased by 4.3% in June, reaching the highest level since July 2019, driven by growth in the main markets. According to ACEA data, the largest EU markets showed positive performance, with Italy leading the way (growing by 15.1%), followed by Germany (6.1%) and Spain (2.2%). In contrast, France saw a decline of 4.8%. In the year-to-date period from January to June, new vehicle registrations increased by 4.5%, reaching almost 5.7 million units. The largest markets in the European Union showed positive but modest performance, with Spain growing by +5.9% in the first half, followed by Germany (+5.4%), Italy (+5.4%), and France (+2.8%). In June, the number of new 100% electric cars decreased by 1% to 156,408 units, with the total market share dropping from 15.1% to 14.4%. The significant sales growth in Belgium (+50.4%) and Italy (+117.4%) was not enough to compensate for double-digit declines in other markets: Germany (-18.1%), the Netherlands (-15%), and France (-10.3%). As a result, a total of 712,637 new 100% electric cars were registered in the first half of the year. This represents modest growth of 1.3% compared to the same period last year, with a market share of 12.5%.

Regarding new plug-in hybrid vehicles, they experienced a significant drop of 19.9% in June compared to the same period in 2023, with significant reductions in three of the largest markets: Belgium (-49.2%), France (-21.7%), and Germany (-3.4%). In June, plug-in hybrids accounted for 6.1% of the total car market, with 66,482 units sold.

On the other hand, hybrid models were the only category to show a positive variation with a 26.4% increase, reaching a total of 321,959 new vehicle registrations. All four major markets for this segment experienced double-digit gains: France (+34.9%), Italy (+27.2%), Spain (+23%), and Germany (+16.5%). This growth boosted the hybrid market share to 29.5%, up from 24.4% in June 2023.

As for gasoline sales, ACEA revealed that they remained relatively stable, decreasing by 0.7%. Declines in key markets such as France (-20.2%) and Spain (-7.5%) were offset by growth in Germany (+12.1%) and Italy (+6.9%). As a result, gasoline cars now represent 34.4% of the market, down from 36.2% in June 2023.

Similarly, the market for diesel-powered cars also experienced a slight decline of 0.9%, representing a market share of 12.7% compared to the same month last year. The decline was attributed to slowing sales in Italy (-18.3%), France (-8.3%), and Spain (-2.1%), while Germany offset the losses with a growth of 12.4%.