Europeans Are Massively Switching to Electric Vehicles: The Car Market in the EU Grew by 5%

The market for new passenger cars in the European Union continues to demonstrate positive dynamics.

In April 2026, the number of registered vehicles in the EU increased by 5.1% compared to the same month last year, totaling over 972,000 cars.

This was reported by "Ukravtoprom".

The most noticeable growth was recorded in the electric vehicle segment. Demand for fully electric models surged by 37.7%, indicating a rapid shift in preferences among European drivers and an active transition to eco-friendly transportation.

Hybrid vehicles remain the market leaders. In April, Europeans purchased over 359,000 of these cars, which is 12% more than the previous year. At the same time, traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles continue to lose popularity. Sales of gasoline models decreased by 16.3%, while diesel sales dropped by 17.1%.

Plug-in hybrids also demonstrated positive dynamics. Registrations of such vehicles increased by 16.4%, reaching nearly 96,000 units.

Overall, since the beginning of 2026, approximately 3.8 million new passenger cars have been registered in EU countries. This is 4.2% more than in the same period last year.

Experts note that the main driver of growth is the development of electric transportation and the strengthening of environmental requirements in Europe. Against this backdrop, manufacturers are increasingly expanding their ranges of electric vehicles and hybrids, while interest in traditional internal combustion engines is gradually declining.

Earlier, we reported on the most popular new crossovers in Ukraine.