European car market stays on the rise
Despite economic uncertainty and geopolitical pressure, new car sales in the European Union continue to move upwards. April’s figures show that buyers remain interested in new cars, especially electrified models.
Nearly one million cars sold in the EU in one month
Almost one million new passenger cars were sold across EU countries in April, a rise of 5.1% compared with the same month last year.
Across the year so far, nearly 3.8 million new cars reached the market in the European Union. That marks growth of 4.2% versus the same period in 2025.
Hybrids dominate, electric cars keep gaining ground
By fuel type, Europe’s new car market is now led by more efficient alternative powertrains.
Hybrid cars, including plug in hybrids, accounted for the largest share of the EU new car market at 47.8%.
Electric cars also continued their steady rise, reaching a 19.7% market share in April.
Major markets mostly grew
Among the European Union’s largest car markets, April was largely positive. France was the only major exception, recording a slight decline.
Italy posted the strongest result, with sales up 11.6%. Spain followed with growth of 8.4%, while Germany rose by 2.7%. France slipped by 0.3%, hardly a collapse, but enough to spoil an otherwise neatly optimistic set of figures.
The wider picture is clear enough. Europe’s car market is not booming wildly, but it is still moving in the right direction, and buyers are increasingly choosing cars with some form of electrification under the bonnet.
