Electric vehicle sales in Europe saw a significant boost in January, with one in six new cars sold being electric. A total of 166,000 electric vehicles were sold, marking a 37% year-on-year increase.
However, this surge wasn’t enough to compensate for the decline in internal combustion engine vehicle sales, and the overall car market shrank by 2%, dropping to just under one million new cars, the lowest figure since August of the previous year. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), electric vehicles and hybrids together accounted for more than half of the total sales volume.
Hybrids emerged as the best-selling category, representing 34.9% of the total sales, while the share of new gasoline and diesel cars dropped below 40%.
Interest in electric vehicles grew notably in Europe’s three largest markets. Germany saw an increase of more than 50%, Belgium grew by 37%, and the Netherlands experienced a 28% rise. However, demand in France slightly declined compared to last year.
For Tesla, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, January proved disappointing. The company’s sales in Europe fell by 45%, with only 9,900 vehicles sold, and its share of the total new vehicle registrations dropped to 1% from 1.8% last year.
On the other hand, Chinese manufacturers delivered strong results. SAIC Motor, which entered the EU markets with its former British brand MG and partners with Audi in China, saw a 37% increase in sales, reaching 23,000 vehicles in January.
