2017 (Q3) Europe: Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Sales per EU and EFTA Country

January to September 2017: Norway, Germany, France and the UK were the largest European markets for electric and hybrid vehicles.

New passenger vehicle registrations of electric and hybrid cars in the European Union and EFTA countries rose dramatically during the first three quarters of 2017. Sales of electrically chargeable vehicles (ECVs) increased by 40% thus far in 2017 with sales during the third quarter of 2017 up by just over 50%. Norway remained the largest market in Europe for electric cars – both in terms of volume and market share – but Germany is fast catching up in the total number of electric vehicle registrations. Sales of hybrid vehicles in the EU and EFTA increased by nearly 60% thus far in 2017 with the UK, France and Italy the market leaders.

The European Electric Car Market in 2017 (Q1-Q3)

New electrically chargeable vehicle (ECV) registrations in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries increased by 40% during the first three quarters of 2017 to 201,357 cars. During the third quarter 2017, the increase was an even stronger 50% to nearly 74,000 electric cars.

Despite the strong growth in electric car sales in Europe, electrically chargeable vehicles still have a market share of only 1.6%, which is around one in 60 new cars. The total new car market in Europe during the first nine months of 2017 amounted to 12,026,194 cars.

Note: Terminology used in these ACEA statistics: Electrically chargeable vehicle (ECV) = battery electric vehicles (BEV) + extended-range electric vehicles (EREV) + fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) + plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).

Electric Car Sales Per European Union and EFTA Country in 2017 (Q1-Q3)

Registrations of electrically chargeable vehicles (ECV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the first three quarters and Q3 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

Battery Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Q1-Q3)

Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the first three quarters and Q3 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Q1-Q3)

Registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the first three quarters and Q3 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Q1-Q3)

Norway remained the clear market leader in terms of electric vehicle sales in Europe in 2017. During the first three quarters of 2017, Norwegians registered 43,096 electrically chargeable vehicles – that is more than a fifth of all electric vehicles sold in the European Union and EFTA. Norway’s total new vehicle market during the first nine months of 2017 was 116,358 cars giving electric cars a 37% market share.

Norway’s lead was even more pronounced in the battery electric vehicle market where 23,237 electric cars were registered during the first nine months of 2017 – nearly a quarter of the total European battery electric car market.

Sales of electric cars in Germany more than doubled during the first three quarters of 2017 to overtake both the UK and France. Previously, electric car sales in Germany have been embarrassingly low with many electric cars “disappearing” soon after registration to neighboring markets. As is often the case with German car manufacturers, the adoption of electric cars has been slow but then in full force with electric cars now available in most price classes from all major manufacturers.

The UK slipped one position to the third largest car market for electric vehicles in Europe during the first three quarters of 2017. Electric car sales in Britain increased by 21% while the broader new car market contracted by 4%. Britain remained the market leader for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles although Germany is catching up fast.

France similarly slipped a rank position despite sales of electric vehicles increasing by 23%. Although more battery electric cars were sold thus far in 2017 in France than in Germany, the German car market is catching up at a fast rate. During the third quarter, battery car sales in Germany were well ahead of France. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles played a smaller role in France where the French market was only the sixth largest in Europe.

Electric car sales increased in 2017 in all European countries except Lithuania, the Netherlands and Denmark. In the latter two, the decline was largely due to a change in tax regime. In Denmark, electric cars are no longer exempt from the normal 150% vehicle registration tax.

Sales of Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Europe in 2017 (Q1 – Q3)

Registrations of new hybrid electric vehicles (full and mild hybrids) were as follows in various European Union and EFTA countries during the first three quarters of 2017 according to the ACEA:

The market for hybrid electric vehicles, excluding plug-in hybrids, in the EU and EFTA grew by 57% during the first nine months of 2017. As with plug-in hybrids, the UK was the leading market. France and Italy were again the second and third largest markets.

Spain surpassed Germany, where hybrids remained relatively unimportant in overall numbers despite a strong 70% increase in sales. Norway was the sixth largest market in Europe for hybrid cars, although in Norway plug-in hybrids outsold regular hybrid cars by a few thousand.

Electric Car Sales in the European Union (EU) and EFTA Countries

Electric Car Sales per EU and EFTA Country:

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• 2021 (Full Year): By Country, Top Electric Brands and Models
• 2021: Q1, Half Year, Q3
• 2020 (Full Year): Market by Fuel Type, Sales by Country
• 2020: Q3, (Half Year), (Q1)
• 2019: (Full Year), (Q1)
• 2018: (Full Year), (Q3), (Half Year), (Q1)
• 2017: (Full Year)