2020 (Full Year) Europe: Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Car Sales per EU, UK, and EFTA Country

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2020 (Full Year): Battery-electric car and plug-in hybrid passenger car sales increased in each country in Europe with Germany the largest electrified vehicle market.

2020 (Full Year): Battery-electric car and plug-in hybrid passenger car sales increased in each country in Europe with Germany the largest electrified vehicle market.

In the full-year 2020, the registration of electrically chargeable passenger vehicles in the European Union (EU), UK, and EFTA countries increased by 144% to 1,364,813 cars. The sales of battery-electric cars doubled to 745,684 cars while plug-in hybrid vehicle sales tripled to 619,129 cars. Germany was by far the largest market in Europe for electric and plug-in vehicles.

European Car Market Statistics 2020: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

European New Electric Car Market in 2020 (Full Year)

In 2020, electrified vehicles gained market share in the weak overall European new car market. While the total European new car market contracted by 24%, electrically-chargeable vehicle (ECV) sales increased by 143% to increase market share from 3.6% in 2019 to 11.4% in 2020.

Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales more than doubled while market share increased from 2.3% to 6.2%. Plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) sales more than tripled for a 5.2% market share.

See 2020 (Full Year) Europe: Car Sales by Fuel Type in the EU, UK, and EFTA for more on the composition of the European new car market by fuel and energy type.

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).
  • BEV statistics include FCEV and PHEV include EREV
  • Hybrids include full and mild hybrids but not PHEV

Electric Car Sales per European Union and EFTA Country in 2020 (Full Year)

New passenger vehicle registrations of electrically chargeable vehicles (ECV) in European Union and EFTA countries in full calendar year 2020 were as follows according to the ACEA:

20202019Change
AUSTRIA23,61811,417106.9
BELGIUM46,33717,737161.2
CROATIA676259161.0
CYPRUS422382.6
CZECH REPUBLIC5,2431,229326.6
DENMARK32,5339,415245.5
ESTONIA42597338.1
FINLAND17,4757,863122.2
FRANCE185,71961,419202.4
GERMANY394,943108,839262.9
GREECE2,135480344.8
HUNGARY6,0422,939105.6
IRELAND6,5054,79035.8
ITALY59,89417,170248.8
LATVIA39198299.0
LITHUANIA453162179.6
LUXEMBOURG5,1581,899171.6
NETHERLANDS89,12966,60733.8
POLAND8,0992,717198.1
PORTUGAL19,69712,68155.3
ROMANIA2,8371,50688.4
SLOVAKIA1,484367304.4
SLOVENIA1,686214687.9
SPAIN41,23317,474136.0
SWEDEN94,07740,406132.8
EUROPEAN UNION1,045,831387,808169.7
ICELAND4,2162,13897.2
NORWAY105,70979,64032.7
SWITZERLAND33,97517,45194.7
EFTA143,90099,22945.0
UNITED KINGDOM175,08272,834140.4
EU + EFTA + UK1,364,813559,871143.8

Battery-Electric Car Sales in Europe in 2020

Registrations of battery-electric vehicles (BEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the period January to December 2020 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

20202019% Change
AUSTRIA15,9869,26172.6
BELGIUM14,9948,83769.7
CROATIA533192177.6
CYPRUS422382.6
CZECH REPUBLIC3,262756331.5
DENMARK14,2845,532158.2
ESTONIA36080350.0
FINLAND4,2441,897123.7
FRANCE111,12742,827159.5
GERMANY194,47463,491206.3
GREECE679190257.4
HUNGARY3,0461,83366.2
IRELAND4,0133,44416.5
ITALY32,48710,685204.0
LATVIA30186250.0
LITHUANIA453162179.6
LUXEMBOURG2,473986150.8
NETHERLANDS73,20461,70318.6
POLAND3,6831,491147.0
PORTUGAL7,8306,88313.8
ROMANIA2,8371,50688.4
SLOVAKIA918165456.4
SLOVENIA1,647186785.5
SPAIN17,92710,04278.5
SWEDEN27,96815,59679.3
EUROPEAN UNION538,772247,854117.4
ICELAND2,357925154.8
NORWAY76,80460,34527.3
SWITZERLAND19,54613,19048.2
EFTA98,70774,46032.6
UNITED KINGDOM108,20537,850185.9
EU + EFTA + UK745,684360,164107.0

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe in 2020

Registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in various European Union and EFTA member countries during the full-year 2020 were as follows according to ACEA statistics:

20202019Change
AUSTRIA7,6322,156254.0
BELGIUM31,3438,900252.2
CROATIA14367113.4
CYPRUS––
CZECH REPUBLIC1,981473318.8
DENMARK18,2493,883370.0
ESTONIA6517282.4
FINLAND13,2315,966121.8
FRANCE74,59218,592301.2
GERMANY200,46945,348342.1
GREECE1,456290402.1
HUNGARY2,9961,106170.9
IRELAND2,4921,34685.1
ITALY27,4076,485322.6
LATVIA9012650.0
LITHUANIA––
LUXEMBOURG2,685913194.1
NETHERLANDS15,9254,904224.7
POLAND4,4161,226260.2
PORTUGAL11,8675,798104.7
ROMANIA––
SLOVAKIA566202180.2
SLOVENIA392839.3
SPAIN23,3067,432213.6
SWEDEN66,10924,810166.5
EUROPEAN UNION507,059139,954262.3
ICELAND1,8591,21353.3
NORWAY28,90519,29549.8
SWITZERLAND14,4294,261238.6
EFTA45,19324,76982.5
UNITED KINGDOM66,87734,98491.2
EU + EFTA + UK619,129199,707210.0

Electric Car Sales in Europe in 2020

Germany was the largest market in Europe for electrically-chargeable vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid cars in 2020. In response to the lockdowns in 2020, the German government shocked the German automobile industry by refusing general incentives but increased subsidies for both battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, which led to a boost in sales. Due to such subsidies, plug-in hybrids often became cheaper than regular petrol or diesel cars — whether these cars are ever actually plugged in, remained a source of debate and research, as the fuel consumption of these heavier cars is higher than the standard vehicles.

In 2020, Germany remained by far the largest European market for electrically chargeable vehicles with sales up 263%. France also tripled sales to move up from fifth to second place. The United Kingdom was again the third-largest market for electrified cars in Europe. Norway and the Netherlands were the worst performing markets with sales up by only a third, as both countries already enjoyed deeper market penetration by electrified cars than other European markets. Both slipped two places.

Battery-Electric Car Sales in Europe in 2020

Germany tripled sales to remain the largest market in Europe for battery-electric vehicles. France moved into second followed by the UK. Norway and the Netherlands were again the worst-performing markets. The Netherlands, which according to initiation numbers were the largest market for battery-electric cars in Europe in 2019 (but downgraded to second place on revised numbers) slipped to fifth with sales up only 18%. Battery-electric car sales increased in each European country in 2020.

The Renault Zoe was the top-selling battery-electric car in Europe in 2020 followed by the Tesla Model 3 and the Volkswagen ID3.

Plug-in Hybrid Car Sales in Europe in 2020

Germany was again the largest market for plug-in hybrid cars in Europe in 2020. Sales of plug-in hybrids in Germany and France in 2020 quadrupled due to government incentives and the attempts of the European car industry to avoid CO2 emission fines. Germany alone accounted for nearly a third of all plug-in hybrid car sales in Europe in 2020.

The worst-performing larger markets were the UK that failed to double sales and Norway that increased sales by only 50% — both markets were early adopters of plug-in hybrid cars.

The best-selling plug-in hybrid car sales in Europe in 2020 according to JATO were the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mitsubishi Outlander, and the Volvo XC40.

European Car Sales Statistics for 2020 (Full Year)

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.