The EU Just Hit A Historic Milestone: EVs Outsold Gas And Diesel Cars Combined

EV sales are up in nearly every EU country. They could surpass hybrids very soon.

Photo by: itscarterandalex & Hyundai

By: Kevin Williams

Oct 28, at 4:40pm ET

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710,580 fully electric cars were sold in Europe last quarter. By comparison, 655,540 gas and diesel models were sold during the same period.
13 out of 27 EU countries recorded their largest EV sales ever.
EVs are the best-selling powertrain type in 10 markets.

It’s no secret that the U.S’s EV adoption rates are well behind the rest of the world; blame the erosion of our subsidies and incentives to build and buy EVs, coupled with a lack of choice of lower-cost models for that. Yet, in Europe, EV sales are only continuing to grow. For Q3 this year, EV sales in Europe have eclipsed gas and diesel vehicles combined.

This information comes courtesy of Transport & Environment (T&E), a climate advocacy group and research firm. It revealed that for Q3, car sales in Europe are now continuing to lean toward full electrification. In Q2, we learned that EV sales had outsold full gas-powered ones. That trend has continued to grow in Q3; the EU purchased about 492,930 full gas cars and 162,610 diesel models, or 655,540 cars in total. At the same time, the EU bought 710,580 full EV models, meaning EV models have officially surpassed pure ICE models of all types.

The study shows that it’s not just one or two countries doing all the heavy lifting while the rest of the continent ignores the call of electrification. A full 13 of the 27 EU member countries recorded their largest EV sales ever. Ten have BEVs as the best-selling powertrain type.

When you click through T&E’s interactive map, you’ll see big winners when it comes to EV market share. Of course, Norway’s 97.9% EV marketshare is stunning, but also not completely surprising, given how the country has made it so easy to buy an EV through discounted taxation and incentives. Sweden and the Netherlands also trend high, too, for similar reasons. But France, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Portugal, and Ireland are now all above 25% market share for new EV sales. Interestingly, Croatia’s new car market is only 4.2% electric, but it’s still trending similarly to the rest of the EU. EV sales are up 244% since 2025, while full ICE vehicles are down 19% in the country. If this trend keeps going, it’s only a matter of time until Croatia catches up with the rest of the EU.

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No doubt this is due in part to the serious efforts of automakers to craft more affordable EV options. Chinese manufacturers like Leapmotor, Geely, and BYD have entered the continent with strong budget offerings like the Leapmotor B10 and BYD Dolphin Surf, capturing drivers in search of value in their electric cars. Also, non-Chinese automakers have also come back stronger with new electric models. Renault, Stellantis, Hyundai, Kia, and Volkswagen have all released affordable hatchbacks and crossovers, with plans to introduce more in the near future. Unlike the U.S., Europe has quite a few EVs to choose from.

Hybrid models are still ahead of full EV models, but given the continued upward trend, it’s only a matter of time until EV models surpass them as well. At 892,380 hybrid vehicles sold in Q3, there’s only about a 180,000-unit difference between the two numbers. Considering the fact that there are models like the Citroën 2CV and Dacia Spring in the works, I suspect that this gap will be closed sooner rather than later.