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

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

Blue BMW i3

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:

Q3/2017 Q3/2016 % Change Q1-3/2017 Q1-3/2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,904 1,228 55.0 5,290 3,798 39.3
BELGIUM 3,365 2,125 58.4 10,547 6,683 57.8
BULGARIA 22 2 1000.0 35 4 775.0
CZECH REPUBLIC 85 44 93.2 234 130 80.0
DENMARK 366 612 -40.2 616 1,088 -43.4
ESTONIA 15 4 275.0 39 29 34.5
FINLAND 801 333 140.5 2,086 1,017 105.1
FRANCE 8,117 5,505 47.4 26,581 21,669 22.7
GERMANY 14,458 6,603 119.0 36,923 17,127 115.6
GREECE 48 8 500.0 130 37 251.4
HUNGARY 270 86 214.0 731 234 212.4
IRELAND 874 652 34.0 1,409 1,093 28.9
ITALY 1,189 598 98.8 3,511 2,051 71.2
LATVIA 11 9 22.2 45 32 40.6
LITHUANIA 15 6 150.0 37 53 -30.2
NETHERLANDS 2,690 3,469 -22.5 7,562 8,216 -8.0
POLAND 317 150 111.3 681 419 62.5
PORTUGAL 944 461 104.8 2,606 1,288 102.3
ROMANIA 74 7 957.1 97 23 321.7
SLOVAKIA 39 14 178.6 199 37 437.8
SLOVENIA 115 68 69.1 301 137 119.7
SPAIN 2,116 685 208.9 4,605 2,500 84.2
SWEDEN 4,913 3,503 40.3 12,994 9,373 38.6
UNITED KINGDOM 13,065 9,760 33.9 35,435 29,267 21.1
EUROPEAN UNION 55,813 35,932 55.3 152,694 106,305 43.6
EU15 54,850 35,542 54.3 150,295 105,207 42.9
EU (New Members) 963 390 146.9 2,399 1,098 118.5
NORWAY 15,894 11,296 40.7 43,096 33,386 29.1
SWITZERLAND 2,084 1,678 24.2 5,567 4,688 18.8
EFTA 17,978 12,974 38.6 48,663 38,074 27.8
EU + EFTA 73,791 48,906 50.9 201,357 144,379 39.5
EU15 + EFTA 72,828 48,516 50.1 198,958 143,281 38.9
Source: ACEA

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:

Q3/2017 Q3/2016 % Change Q1-3/2017 Q1-3/2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,402 911 53.9 4,081 2,919 39.8
BELGIUM 560 463 21.0 2,043 1,546 32.1
BULGARIA 0 0 #DIV/0! 0 0 0.0
CZECH REPUBLIC2 85 44 93.2 234 130 80.0
DENMARK 300 437 -31.4 437 681 -35.8
ESTONIA 4 4 0.0 23 29 -20.7
FINLAND 119 52 128.8 387 164 136.0
FRANCE 5,208 3,753 38.8 18,763 16,091 16.6
GERMANY 6,244 3,321 88.0 16,433 7,678 114.0
GREECE 9 2 350.0 21 11 90.9
HUNGARY 151 24 529.2 439 121 262.8
IRELAND 579 371 56.1 953 657 45.1
ITALY 427 258 65.5 1,429 936 52.7
LATVIA 7 6 16.7 32 17 88.2
LITHUANIA2 15 6 150.0 37 53 -30.2
NETHERLANDS 2,413 1,018 137.0 6,653 2,960 124.8
POLAND 138 36 283.3 263 69 281.2
PORTUGAL 366 200 83.0 1,095 538 103.5
ROMANIA2 74 7 957.1 97 23 321.7
SLOVAKIA 39 14 178.6 129 37 248.6
SLOVENIA 71 51 39.2 202 96 110.4
SPAIN 1,088 315 245.4 2,354 1,161 102.8
SWEDEN 1,109 680 63.1 3,309 2,041 62.1
UNITED KINGDOM 3,433 2,840 20.9 11,127 8,107 37.3
EUROPEAN UNION 23,841 14,813 60.9 70,541 46,065 53.1
EU15 23,257 14,621 59.1 69,085 45,490 51.9
EU (New Members) 584 192 204.2 1,456 575 153.2
NORWAY 8,451 5,741 47.2 23,237 17,485 32.9
SWITZERLAND 1,120 844 32.7 3,144 2,382 32.0
EFTA 9,571 6,585 45.3 26,381 19,867 32.8
EU + EFTA 33,412 21,398 56.1 96,922 65,932 47.0
EU15 + EFTA 32,828 21,206 54.8 95,466 65,357 46.1
Source: ACEA

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:

Q3/2017 Q3/2016 % Change Q1-3/2017 Q1-3/2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 502 317 58.4 1,209 879 37.5
BELGIUM 2,739 1,584 72.9 8,279 4,878 69.7
BULGARIA 22 2 1000.0 35 4 775.0
CZECH REPUBLIC – – – – – –
DENMARK 63 160 -60.6 164 383 -57.2
ESTONIA 11 0 – 16 0 –
FINLAND 681 281 142.3 1,694 853 98.6
FRANCE 2,882 1,749 64.8 7,783 5,574 39.6
GERMANY 8,152 3,274 149.0 20,418 9,402 117.2
GREECE 39 6 550.0 109 26 319.2
HUNGARY 119 62 91.9 292 113 158.4
IRELAND 295 281 5.0 456 436 4.6
ITALY 705 287 145.6 1,915 1,025 86.8
LATVIA 4 3 33.3 13 15 -13.3
LITHUANIA – – – – – –
NETHERLANDS 269 2,440 -89.0 887 5,232 -83.0
POLAND 170 102 66.7 379 318 19.2
PORTUGAL 573 251 128.3 1,497 720 107.9
ROMANIA – – – – – –
SLOVAKIA 0 0 – 70 0 –
SLOVENIA 43 14 207.1 97 33 193.9
SPAIN 993 340 192.1 2,113 1,219 73.3
SWEDEN 3,804 2,818 35.0 9,679 7,322 32.2
UNITED KINGDOM 8,934 6,265 42.6 22,304 19,766 12.8
EUROPEAN UNION 31,000 20,236 53.2 79,409 58,198 36.4
EU15 30,631 20,053 52.8 78,507 57,715 36.0
EU (New Members) 369 183 101.6 902 483 86.7
NORWAY 6,493 4,263 52.3 17,087 11,749 45.4
SWITZERLAND 918 746 23.1 2,263 2,088 8.4
EFTA 7,411 5,009 48.0 19,350 13,837 39.8
EU + EFTA 38,411 25,245 52.2 98,759 72,035 37.1
EU15 + EFTA 38,042 25,062 51.8 97,857 71,552 36.8
Source: ACEA

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:

Q3/2017 Q3/2016 % Change Q1-3/2017 Q1-3/2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,590 1,042 52.6 4,899 2,412 103.1
BELGIUM 2,639 2,317 13.9 10,109 7,153 41.3
BULGARIA 195 147 32.7 783 322 143.2
CZECH REPUBLIC 696 404 72.3 2,039 1,080 88.8
DENMARK 1,991 936 112.7 5,939 4,140 43.5
ESTONIA 308 268 14.9 950 571 66.4
FINLAND 2,376 1,204 97.3 6,811 3,561 91.3
FRANCE 15,122 10,069 50.2 49,582 35,511 39.6
GERMANY 14,832 9,195 61.3 40,086 23,702 69.1
GREECE 613 470 30.4 1,611 1,151 40.0
HUNGARY 828 449 84.4 2,545 1,144 122.5
IRELAND 4,344 2,459 76.7 7,218 4,075 77.1
ITALY 13,460 7,873 71.0 45,914 27,067 69.6
LATVIA 81 79 2.5 220 171 28.7
LITHUANIA 219 87 151.7 501 294 70.4
NETHERLANDS 4,523 2,899 56.0 13,413 6,785 97.7
POLAND 3,548 2,480 43.1 12,061 7,141 68.9
PORTUGAL 1,160 686 69.1 3,330 2,232 49.2
ROMANIA 652 366 78.1 1,469 684 114.8
SLOVAKIA 519 31 1574.2 1,308 155 743.9
SLOVENIA 263 115 128.7 719 282 155.0
SPAIN 13,608 7,937 71.5 40,519 21,820 85.7
SWEDEN 4,809 3,660 31.4 13,962 10,069 38.7
UNITED KINGDOM 22,402 14,178 58.0 58,690 40,676 44.3
EUROPEAN UNION 110,778 69,351 59.7 324,678 202,198 60.6
EU15 103,469 64,925 59.4 302,083 190,354 58.7
EU (New Members) 7,309 4,426 65.1 22,595 11,844 90.8
NORWAY 5,096 5,034 1.2 15,702 13,043 20.4
SWITZERLAND 2,134 2,036 4.8 6,201 5,574 11.2
EFTA 7,230 7,070 2.3 21,903 18,617 17.7
EU + EFTA 118,008 76,421 54.4 346,581 220,815 57.0
EU15 + EFTA 110,699 71,995 53.8 323,986 208,971 55.0
Source: 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:

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.