Europe: Plug-In Car Sales Decreased In November 2023 Because Of PHEVs

In November, plug-in electric car sales in Europe decreased year-over-year for the first time in over a year (since July 2022), losing some of its market share.

The reason for the drop is related to the noticeable decline in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car sales, which was not offset by the relatively weak growth of battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales. Meanwhile, the general market expanded by 6% year-over-year.

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Almost one in four new cars in Europe is rechargeable

Europe is one of the world's largest markets for plug-in electric cars with a pretty decent average share of rechargeable cars of about 23% (through November). 

According to EV Volumes data shared by researcher Jose Pontes, 273,872 new plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe in November, which is 2% less than a year ago. The market share amounted to 26% (compared to almost 28% a year ago).

All-electric car registrations improved by 5% year-over-year taking 17% of the market (almost like a year ago), while plug-in hybrids were down by 15% year-over-year.

Plug-in car registrations for the month (YOY change):

• BEVs: about *183,500 (up 5%) and 17% market share
• PHEVs: about *90,000 (down 15%) and 9% market share
• Total: 273,872 (down 2%) and 26% market share

* Estimated from the market share

Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Europe – November 2023

During the first 11 months of the year, over 2.7 million passenger plug-in electric cars have been registered in Europe, which is about 23% of the total market.

Plug-in car registrations January-November (YOY change):

• BEVs: about *1.83 million and 15% market share
• PHEVs: about *0.91 million and 8% market share
• Total: 2,721,944 (up 24%) and 23% market share

* Estimated from the market share

For reference, in 2022, more than 2.6 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe (about 23% of the total volume).

It's hard to believe that December will bring us any significant progress and it seems that Europe will end with the same plug-in market share as in 2022 (but at a higher volume, in line with the expansion of the general market).

Top Plug-In Models

The Tesla Model Y remains Europe's best-selling plug-in model for the 13th month in a row with 18,211 new registrations in November. An interesting thing is that the volume of deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 Highland from China (17,524 registrations) enabled Tesla to secure the first two spots, with a big advantage over other models.

Next, we can see outstanding results of the Skoda Enyaq iV (8,889) and Audi Q4 e-tron (7,118)—both of them are direct cousins of the Volkswagen ID.4 and both significantly outsold the ID.4 during the month.

Results for the month:

1. Tesla Model Y - 18,211
2. Tesla Model 3 - 17,524
3. Skoda Enyaq iV - 8,889
4. Audi Q4 e-tron - 7,118
5. MG 4 - 6,413
6. BMW i4 - 6,055
7. Volvo XC40 - 5,613 (5,139 BEVs + 474 PHEVs) 
8. BMW iX1 - 5,538
9. Volkswagen ID.4 - 5,419
10. Dacia Spring - 5,253

After the first 11 months of 2023, the Tesla Model Y is out of reach for any other plug-in and will be the best-selling car in Europe overall, it seems.

The Tesla Model 3 probably will be the best of the rest, ahead of the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV.

Results in January-November:

1. Tesla Model Y - 230,008
2. Tesla Model 3 - 88,162
3. Volkswagen ID.4 - 75,408
4. Skoda Enyaq iV - 70,358
5. Volvo XC40 - 68,837 (46,467 BEVs + 22,370 PHEVs) 
6. Audi Q4 e-tron - 64,010
7. MG 4 - 63,232
8. Volkswagen ID.3 - 58,876
9. Fiat 500 electric - 58,182
10. Dacia Spring - 54,266

Top Brands And Automotive Groups

Through the end of November, Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen brands noted the highest number of new plug-in car registrations (yes, BMW continues to be ahead of Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz is close behind).

In terms of automotive groups, the Volkswagen Group with over 21% share is far ahead of Stellantis (13.7%) and Tesla (12%).

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Top brands by share in the plug-in segment in January-November:

• Tesla - 12.0%
• BMW - 8.5%
• Volkswagen - 8.2%
• Mercedes-Benz - 7.8%
• Audi - 5.8%
• Volvo - 5.6%

Top automotive groups by share in the plug-in segment in January-November:

• Volkswagen Group - 21.2% share (Volkswagen brand at 8.2%)
• Stellantis - 13.7%
• Tesla - 12.0%
• BMW Group - 10.1% share (BMW brand at 8.5%)
• Hyundai Motor Group - 8.4%
• Mercedes-Benz Group - 8.4% (Mercedes-Benz brand at 7.8%)

More sales reports

Ford U.S. EV Sales Hit New Record In December, Q4 And Full Year 2023

Stellantis Dominated The U.S. PHEV Segment In 2023 With New Record Sales In Q4

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