New car registrations in the European Union fell by 2.6% in January, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), which represents Europe’s 16 major car, truck and bus manufacturers.
In particular, the EU’s major markets saw a decline, with France recording a 6.2% drop, Italy 5.8% and Germany 2.8%. In contrast, Spain recorded a 5.3% increase.
In January, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 15% of the market share, up from a low of 10.9% in January 2024.
Hybrid electric vehicles grew, representing almost 34.9% of the market and once again becoming the first most preferred choice among EU car buyers.
Meanwhile, the combined market share of gasoline and diesel cars fell to 39.4% in January 2025, from 48.7% a year ago, ACEA reports.
16.4% drop in Greece
In Greece, the registrations of all categories of new passenger cars dropped by 16.4%.
Specifically, 10,663 passenger cars were sold, while in the same month last year sales were 12,752. New trucks (light and heavy) reached 768 in January 2025, compared to 1,175 last year (-34.6%).
New buses sold reached 133 units, up from 47 in January 2025 (+183.0%).
Electric Cars
In January 2025, sales of new battery electric cars increased by 34% to 124,341, corresponding to a 15% market share.
Three of the region’s four largest markets, which together account for 64% of all battery electric car registrations, recorded strong double-digit gains: Germany (+53.5%), Belgium (+37.2%) and the Netherlands (+28.2%), while France saw a slight decline of -0.5%.
Petrol and diesel cars
In January 2025, petrol car registrations fell by 18.9%, with all major markets showing a decrease.
France saw the biggest drop, with registrations plummeting by 28.2%, followed by Germany (-23.7%), Italy (-17%) and Spain (-11.1%).
With 244,763 new cars registered last month, the market share for petrol fell to 29.4%, down from 35.4% in the same month last year.
Similarly, the market for diesel cars fell by 27%, bringing the market share for diesel vehicles in January to 10%.
Overall, double-digit declines were seen in most EU markets.
