2017 (Full Year) Europe: Electric and Hybrid Car Sales per EU and EFTA Country

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In 2017, Norway remained the largest market for electric cars in Europe while Germany finally moved ahead of Britain and France. Electric car sales increased by 39% in the EU.

Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid 1207

In full year 2017, Norway was again the leading market for electrically chargeable vehicles while Britain was the largest market for hybrid cars. The total market for electrically chargeable vehicles in the European Union (EU) and EFTA in 2017 expanded by 38.7% to 287,270 cars or a share of 1.4% of the total European new car market. The total was almost equally spread between battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Hybrid car sales increased by over 50% to nearly half a million vehicles.

The European Electric Car Market in 2017 (Full Year)

New electrically chargeable vehicle (ECV) registrations in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries increased by 38.7% to 287,270 cars. During the fourth quarter 2017, the increase was slightly weaker at 37% to just over 86,000 electric cars.

Despite the strong growth in electric car sales in Europe in 2017, electrically chargeable vehicles still have a market share of only 1.4%, which is around one in 60 new 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-Q4)

Registrations of electrically chargeable vehicles (ECV) in European Union and EFTA member countries during Q4 (October to December) and full year 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

  Q4/2017 Q4/2016 % Change 2017 2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,864 1,270 46.8 7,154 5,068 41.2
BELGIUM 3,752 2,301 63.1 14,299 8,984 59.2
BULGARIA 71 9 688.9 106 13 715.4
CZECH REPUBLIC 73 70 4.3 307 200 53.5
DENMARK 731 850 -14.0 1,342 1,920 -30.1
ESTONIA 4 6 -33.3 43 35 22.9
FINLAND 969 413 134.6 3,055 1,430 113.6
FRANCE 10,254 7,525 36.3 36,835 29,194 26.2
GERMANY 17,694 8,087 118.8 54,617 25,214 116.6
GREECE 69 6 1050.0 199 43 362.8
HUNGARY 461 109 322.9 1,192 343 247.5
IRELAND 72 36 100.0 948 690 37.4
ITALY 1,315 770 70.8 4,827 2,819 71.2
LATVIA 11 8 37.5 56 40 40.0
LITHUANIA 15 11 36.4 52 64 -18.8
NETHERLANDS 3,517 14,723 -76.1 11,079 22,939 -51.7
POLAND 369 150 146.0 1,068 569 87.7
PORTUGAL 1,462 548 166.8 4,082 1,845 121.2
ROMANIA 91 51 78.4 188 74 154.1
SLOVAKIA 80 22 263.6 209 59 254.2
SLOVENIA 155 61 154.1 456 198 130.3
SPAIN 2,871 1,154 148.8 7,476 3,654 104.6
SWEDEN 6,684 3,887 72.0 19,678 13,260 48.4
UNITED KINGDOM 11,863 7,835 51.4 47,298 37,102 27.5
EUROPEAN UNION 64,447 49,902 29.1 216,566 155,757 39.0
EU15 63,117 49,405 27.8 212,889 154,162 38.1
EU (New Members) 1,330 497 167.6 3,677 1,595 130.5
NORWAY 19,217 11,522 66.8 62,313 44,908 38.8
SWITZERLAND 2,824 1,715 64.7 8,391 6,403 31.0
EFTA 22,041 13,237 66.5 70,704 51,311 37.8
EU + EFTA 86,488 63,139 37.0 287,270 207,068 38.7
EU15 + EFTA 85,158 62,642 35.9 283,593 205,473 38.0
             

Battery Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Full Year)

Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the full year and Q4 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

  Q4/2017 Q4/2016 % Change 2017 2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,352 907 49.1 5,433 3,826 42.0
BELGIUM 666 508 31.1 2,709 2,054 31.9
BULGARIA 68 5 1260.0 68 5 1260.0
CZECH REPUBLIC 73 70 4.3 307 200 53.5
DENMARK 261 631 -58.6 698 1,312 -46.8
ESTONIA 3 6 -50.0 26 35 -25.7
FINLAND 111 59 88.1 502 223 125.1
FRANCE 6,147 5,661 8.6 24,910 21,752 14.5
GERMANY 8,623 3,732 131.1 25,056 11,410 119.6
GREECE 17 1 1600.0 38 12 216.7
HUNGARY 310 51 507.8 749 172 335.5
IRELAND 41 21 95.2 622 392 58.7
ITALY 535 441 21.3 1,967 1,377 42.8
LATVIA 7 5 40.0 39 22 77.3
LITHUANIA 15 11 36.4 52 64 -18.8
NETHERLANDS 3,244 1,308 148.0 9,897 4,268 131.9
POLAND 176 39 351.3 439 108 306.5
PORTUGAL 545 218 150.0 1,640 756 116.9
ROMANIA 91 51 78.4 188 74 154.1
SLOVAKIA 80 22 263.6 209 59 254.2
SLOVENIA 86 48 79.2 288 144 100.0
SPAIN 1,566 844 85.5 3,920 2,005 95.5
SWEDEN 908 904 0.4 4,217 2,945 43.2
UNITED KINGDOM 2,470 2,157 14.5 13,597 10,264 32.5
EUROPEAN UNION 27,395 17,700 54.8 97,571 63,479 53.7
EU15 26,486 17,392 52.3 95,206 62,596 52.1
EU (New Members) 909 308 195.1 2,365 883 167.8
NORWAY 9,788 6,737 45.3 33,025 24,222 36.3
SWITZERLAND 1,629 913 78.4 4,773 3,295 44.9
EFTA 11,417 7,650 49.2 37,798 27,517 37.4
EU + EFTA 38,812 25,350 53.1 135,369 90,996 48.8
EU15 + EFTA 37,903 25,042 51.4 133,004 90,113 47.6
             

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Q1-Q4)

Registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the full year and Q4 2017 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

  Q4/2017 Q4/2016 % Change 2017 2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 512 358 43.0 1,721 1,237 39.1
BELGIUM 3,008 1,793 67.8 11,287 6,671 69.2
BULGARIA 3 4 -25.0 38 8 375.0
CZECH REPUBLIC – – #DIV/0! – – #DIV/0!
DENMARK 454 206 120.4 614 572 7.3
ESTONIA 1 0 #DIV/0! 17 0 #DIV/0!
FINLAND 852 354 140.7 2,533 1,207 109.9
FRANCE 4,085 1,855 120.2 11,868 7,429 59.8
GERMANY 9,021 4,349 107.4 29,439 13,751 114.1
GREECE 52 5 940.0 161 31 419.4
HUNGARY 151 58 160.3 443 171 159.1
IRELAND 31 15 106.7 326 298 9.4
ITALY 733 284 158.1 2,646 1,307 102.4
LATVIA 4 3 33.3 17 18 -5.6
LITHUANIA – – – – – –
NETHERLANDS 271 13,396 -98.0 1,158 18,628 -93.8
POLAND 188 86 118.6 585 404 44.8
PORTUGAL 905 319 183.7 2,416 1,048 130.5
ROMANIA – – – – – –
SLOVAKIA – – – – – –
SLOVENIA 68 13 423.1 165 46 258.7
SPAIN 1,257 292 330.5 3,370 1,511 123.0
SWEDEN 5,768 2,974 93.9 15,447 10,296 50.0
UNITED KINGDOM 8,850 5,133 72.4 31,154 24,899 25.1
EUROPEAN UNION 36,214 31,497 15.0 115,405 89,532 28.9
EU15 35,799 31,333 14.3 114,140 88,885 28.4
EU (New Members) 415 164 153.0 1,265 647 95.5
NORWAY 8,078 3,768 114.4 25,165 15,517 62.2
SWITZERLAND 1,141 741 54.0 3,404 2,829 20.3
EFTA 9,219 4,509 104.5 28,569 18,346 55.7
EU + EFTA 45,433 36,006 26.2 143,974 107,878 33.5
EU15 + EFTA 45,018 35,842 25.6 142,709 107,231 33.1
             

Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2017 (Full Year)

The market for electrically chargeable vehicles (ECVs) in the European Union and EFTA countries expanded by 39% in 2017. The growth in battery electric vehicles (BEV) sales was an even higher 48.8% to easily surpass 100,000 electric cars sold in Europe for the first time ever in a single year. Around a third more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) were sold in Europe in 2017.

In 2017, as in recent years, Norway was by far the largest single-country market for electric vehicles in Europe. In Norway, electric cars had 40% of the total new vehicle market. Norway remained the largest car market for BEVs and the third largest market for PHEVs.

New electric vehicle registrations in Germany more than doubled in 2017 to overtake both the UK and France to make the German electric car market the second largest in Europe. Both battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales in Germany more than doubled in 2017 to make Germany the second largest market in both sectors.

Both Britain and France, with electric vehicle sales increases of just over a quarter, slipped one rank position down due to the strong increase in electric car sales in Germany in 2017. The UK was the largest single-country market for plug-in hybrids in Europe in 2017 but Germany took the lead in the final quarter of the year.

In 2017, Sweden and Belgium overtook the Netherlands in electric vehicle sales largely due to the exceptionally strong Q3/2016 sales of plug-in hybrids in the Netherlands ahead of tax changes. Denmark was the only other significant electric car market with weaker sales in 2017 with the change also due to a change in taxes.

Electric car sales in Spain doubled in 2017 to overtake Austria.

As before, electric cars play only a minor role in the newer EU member states.

Sales of Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Europe in 2017 (Q1 – Q4)

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

  Q4/2017 Q4/2016 % Change 2017 2016 % Change
AUSTRIA 1,673 1,062 57.5 6,572 3,474 89.2
BELGIUM 2,462 2,348 4.9 12,571 9,501 32.3
BULGARIA 412 258 59.7 1,195 580 106.0
CZECH REPUBLIC 787 461 70.7 2,826 1,541 83.4
DENMARK 1,513 1,377 9.9 7,101 6,781 4.7
ESTONIA 238 194 22.7 1,188 765 55.3
FINLAND 1,703 1,117 52.5 8,514 4,678 82.0
FRANCE 20,098 15,445 30.1 69,680 50,956 36.7
GERMANY 15,150 10,543 43.7 55,236 34,245 61.3
GREECE 737 394 87.1 2,348 1,545 52.0
HUNGARY 994 530 87.5 3,539 1,674 111.4
IRELAND 91 13 600.0 4,435 2,570 72.6
ITALY 17,415 10,171 71.2 63,398 37,240 70.2
LATVIA 124 115 7.8 344 286 20.3
LITHUANIA 214 107 100.0 715 401 78.3
NETHERLANDS 4,254 4,187 1.6 17,667 10,972 61.0
POLAND 4,852 2,909 66.8 16,896 10,050 68.1
PORTUGAL 1,376 981 40.3 4,692 3,204 46.4
ROMANIA 570 405 40.7 2,039 1,089 87.2
SLOVAKIA 558 149 274.5 1,936 363 433.3
SLOVENIA 286 87 228.7 1,005 369 172.4
SPAIN 15,002 9,073 65.3 55,522 30,897 79.7
SWEDEN 5,600 3,690 51.8 19,562 13,759 42.2
UNITED KINGDOM 13,833 11,113 24.5 72,523 51,789 40.0
EUROPEAN UNION 109,942 76,729 43.3 431,504 278,729 54.8
EU15 100,907 71,514 41.1 399,821 261,611 52.8
EU (New Members) 9,035 5,215 73.3 31,683 17,118 85.1
NORWAY 4,798 4,216 13.8 20,500 17,259 18.8
SWITZERLAND 2,213 2,099 5.4 8,414 7,673 9.7
EFTA 7,011 6,315 11.0 28,914 24,932 16.0
EU + EFTA 116,953 83,044 40.8 460,418 303,661 51.6
EU15 + EFTA 107,918 77,829 38.7 428,735 286,543 49.6
             

The market for hybrid electric vehicles, excluding plug-in hybrids, in the EU and EFTA grew by 52% in 2017 to 460,418 vehicles. As with plug-in hybrids, the UK was the leading market in Europe in 2017. 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 60% increase in sales. Norway was the sixth largest market in Europe for hybrid cars in 2017 with Norway the only major market where plug-in hybrid sales volumes were higher than regular hybrids.

The only other European Union countries with hybrid car sales exceeding 10,000 vehicles in 2017 were Sweden, Netherlands, Poland and Belgium.

Hybrid car sales increased in all EU and EFTA countries in 2017. The fastest growth was in Slovakia where sales more than quadrupled but from a low base (and small numbers).

For more on the European new car market in 2017 see also:

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.