Europe’s EV Sales Explode, Now Making Up A Quarter Of New Cars

Rising fuel prices are convincing more and more Europeans that electric cars are worth it in the long run.

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Aug 24, at 8:21am ET

Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google

Comment

European EV sales shot up by 51% last month.
The rise in fuel prices has convinced more people to switch to electric, boosting the powertrain’s market share.
One in four new cars sold in Europe was an EV last month.

Europeans’ appetite for electric cars is not slowing down. Last month, EV sales in the region went up by 51% compared to the same month last year, leading to a crisp 25% market share for this type of powertrain, according to Dataforce, which crunched the numbers from 98% of all new car registrations in the European Union, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

In the first seven months of 2026, EV sales grew 37% compared to the same period last year, helping the entire industry keep its numbers in the green. By comparison, the entire European car market went up by 4.1% last month and 5.7% from January through July.

The compact Skoda Elroq was Europe's best-selling EV in July.

Photo by: Skoda

The growth of EV sales outpaced plug-in hybrids and traditional hybrids, too, with PHEV sales rising by 15% in July, while full-hybrid sales were up 9%. Rising fuel prices and an ever-expanding lineup of electric cars are more than likely the main drivers behind the sustained growth of EV registrations in Europe.

France and Germany, two of the biggest car markets in Europe, are leading the EV boom, with more and more battery-powered vehicles hitting the roads every month. In July, France hit a 35% EV share, with over 44,000 registrations. Meanwhile, full-electric cars reached a 29.3% share last month, with nearly 79,000 registrations.

In total, 277,006 EVs were registered in Europe last month, and none of Tesla’s models are at the top of the list. The Skoda Elroq was the best-selling EV in the region, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Renault 5 E-Tech. However, the Tesla Model Y is still the best-selling EV in Europe after the first seven months of the year, with 115,759 registrations, an increase of 55%. Skoda’s Elroq is second, with 67,679 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3 with 57,086 cars sold.

What do you think?

View

Comments

When it comes to plug-in hybrids, Chinese marques have swept in and captured a huge chunk of the market. Unlike EVs, Chinese-made PHEVs are not subject to hiked import tariffs, so they can be sold at lower prices than locally made models. Overall, PHEV sales went up to 125,530 cars in July, a 15% increase over the same month last year. Chinese models held a 34% share and took over nearly half of the top 10 list. The BYD Seal U was the best-selling PHEV in Europe last month, followed by the BYD Atto 2. The Jaecoo 7 was fourth.

From January through July, the entire podium is Chinese, with the BYD Seal U first, followed by the BYD Atto and the Jaecoo 7.