October 2025 marked a pivotal moment in Europe’s automotive market, as electric vehicle sales overtook those of gasoline-powered cars for the first time. According to the latest European Union data, new gasoline vehicle registrations declined sharply, surrendering market dominance to electric and hybrid models.
Year-to-date new car registrations across the EU increased modestly by 1.4% through October. However, this small overall growth masks a significant shift in consumer preferences toward electric and hybrid vehicles.
In October alone, battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and traditional hybrid vehicles accounted for approximately 63.9% of all new car registrations, up from 55.4% the previous year. Among these, standard hybrid-electric vehicles remain the most popular, holding a 34.6% market share year-to-date, with 3,109,362 units registered in the first ten months of 2025.
This segment is expanding rapidly, particularly in key markets such as Spain and France, which reported 27.1% and 26.3% growth in registrations respectively. This trend suggests that many European drivers are adopting hybrids as an intermediate step away from pure gasoline engines.
Pure electric vehicles (BEVs) saw 1,473,447 registrations from January to October 2025, increasing their market share to 16.4%, up from 13.2% in 2024. October alone saw BEV registrations grow by 38.6% compared to the same month last year. Germany led the charge among major EU countries, with electric car sales surging 39.4% so far this year. Together, the four largest EU markets account for 62% of all new BEV registrations.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) experienced the strongest growth rate in October, rising 43.2% year-over-year. Registrations totaled 819,201 units through October, capturing a 9.1% share of the market. Southern Europe saw exceptional growth, with Spain’s PHEV sales increasing 109.6% and Italy’s by 76.5% year-to-date.
The rise of electric and hybrid vehicles came at the expense of traditional combustion engines. Together, petrol and diesel vehicles accounted for just 36.6% of the market year-to-date, down from 46.3% the previous year. Diesel cars endured the steepest decline, falling 24.5% with their market share slipping below 10%. Petrol vehicles also declined by 18.3%, with 2,459,151 units registered in 2025 so far.
All major EU markets reported decreases in petrol car sales, notably France with a 32.3% drop and Germany at 22.5%. These figures underscore that fossil fuel vehicles are losing their grip on Europe’s new car market.
The Volkswagen Group, including brands such as Volkswagen, Skoda, and Audi, remains Europe’s top automaker. On the electrification front, Chinese manufacturers made notable gains: BYD’s sales surged 206.8% in October, while SAIC Motor rose 35.9%.
Tesla was the only major automaker to see a steep sales decline, dropping 48.5% in October. The company’s latest vehicle updates failed to maintain buyer interest amid ongoing controversy surrounding its CEO.
The best-selling car model in Europe for both October and year-to-date was the Dacia Sandero, demonstrating that affordable, compact vehicles maintain strong demand regardless of powertrain type. This data confirms a lasting structural shift, with most consumers favoring hybrid or electric vehicles even though overall market volumes have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
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