In February 2025, new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe contracted by 2.5% but battery-electric car sales increased by a quarter.
New car sales in Europe (EU, EFTA, and UK) were weaker in February 2025 with the market contracting faster than in January. Weaker sales in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Ireland were the main drivers of this trend. Volkswagen was the largest car manufacturer in Europe, the top-selling car brand, and also the leading electric car brand in February 2025. The Dacia Sandero was again the top-selling car model in Europe while the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling electric car model despite a sharp fall in sales.
Latest European Car Market Statistics: 2025: January, February, March, (Q1); 2024 (Full Year): Market, By Country, Electric, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models; 2023-2007.
European New Car Market in February 2025
New car sales in Europe were down by 2.5% to only 966,300 vehicles in February 2025 compared to 988,116 passenger cars registered in 28 European markets (EU, UK, EFTA) in February 2024, according to JATO Dynamics.
Year-to-date 2025 registrations fell by 2% to a total of 1,962,850 units.
Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “There are still no clear signs of recovery in the European automotive industry. Uncertainty in the domestic market is being further complicated by challenges in both China and the US.”
Growth in Battery-Electric Car Sales in Europe in 2025 (February)
In contrast to the broader new car market, sales of battery-electric cars increased by a strong 26% in February 2025. A total of 164,000 all-electric cars were sold — the highest volume on record for both the month of February and the period of January to February, during which 329,700 units were registered, up by 31%.
Against this positive backdrop, Tesla’s market share fell to 9.6% – the lowest it has been during the month of February over the last five years. The brand’s year-to-date market share fell from 18.4% in 2024 to 7.7% this year.
Best-Selling Electric Car Brands in Europe in 2025 (February)
The top 25 best-selling electric car brands in Europe in February 2025 according to JATO were:
Volkswagen was the largest carmaker, car brand, and electric car brand in Europe in February 2025. VW electric car sales almost tripled while second-placed Tesla sales were down by 44%.
BMW, Audi, Renault, Kia, and Skoda also had strong increases in BEV sales while Volvo’s electric car sales were down by almost a third.
Much of Renault’s success was found in the BEV segment, with 9,400 BEVs registered in February, up by 96%. The French manufacturer was only outperformed by Volkswagen, which recorded a 108% increase in BEV sales. Other strong increases within the BEV segment include Audi (+67%), Kia (+56%), Skoda (+63%), Citroen (+190%), Cupra (+179%), Mini (+804%), and Ford (+146%). In contrast, Tesla, Volvo, MG, Fiat, Jeep, and Smart all recorded declines.
Top 10 Car Brands in Europe by Sales and Fuel Type in February 2025
The ten largest carmakers in Europe by sales and energy type in February 2025 according to JATO were:
German carmakers continue to have a remarkably high percentage of diesel car sales in Europe in February 2025 with 38% of Mercedes-Benz cars using diesel fuel.
Top 10 Best-Selling Car Models in Europe in February 2025
The top ten best-selling car models in Europe by sales and energy type in February 2025 were:
The Dacia Sandero once again led in the ranking by model as Europe’s most registered new vehicle in February and year-to-date 2025. The Citroen C3 moved into second with greater availability of the new generation. The Renault Clio followed closely in third thanks to a 22% increase in volumes – the second best within the top 10, only outperformed by the Volkswagen Tiguan, in ninth position, which recorded a 43% increase in registrations.
Sales of the Peugeot 208 and VW Golf were weaker.
The Tesla Model Y and Skoda Octavia have dropped out of the top ten model rankings, making way for the Dacia Duster and Volkswagen Tiguan. The best-performing models in the top 100 include: the Peugeot 3008 (+40%), MG ZS (+47%), Skoda Kodiaq (+32%), Jeep Avenger (+40%), Volkswagen ID.4 (+150%), Volkswagen ID.3 (+114%), Skoda Enyaq (+41%), Mini Countryman (+109%), BMW 5 Series (+54%), Fiat 600 (+369%), Audi A5 (+181%), Audi A6 (+74%), Mercedes E-Class (+49%) and Cupra Born (+64%).
Top-Selling Electric Car Models in Europe in February 2025
The 25 best-selling battery-electric car models in Europe in February 2025 were:
The Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 were the two top-selling electric car models in Europe in February 2025 but sales were sharply down.
According to Munoz: “Tesla is experiencing a period of immense change. In addition to Elon Musk’s increasingly active role in politics and the increased competition it is facing within the EV market, the brand is phasing out the existing version the Model Y – its best-selling vehicle – in anticipation of the introduction of a new refreshed version.
“During this process, brands often experience a drop in sales before they return to normal levels, once the updated model becomes widely available. Brands like Tesla, which have a relatively limited model lineup, are particularly vulnerable to registration declines when undertaking a model changeover.”
In February, registrations of the Model Y fell by 56% to 8,800 units, while registrations of the Model 3 fell by 14% to 6,800 units. “The difference in volume drops between these two vehicles suggests that the decline in the brand’s overall sales is more firmly rooted in the Model Y changeover than Musk’s political activity. However, it will be interesting to see to what extent demand rebounds once the new Model Y hits markets across the region.”
In contrast to Tesla, sales of electric Volkswagens were sharply up with sales of the VW ID4 and ID3 more than doubling and the ID7 also selling well. New models such as the Renault 5, Kia EV3, and Citroen C3 entered the top ten.
Increased in Chinese Car Sales
The difficulties that Tesla is currently facing have created opportunities for some of its competitors. In February, Chinese-owned car brands registered 19,800 new electric vehicles in Europe, outpacing Tesla which registered just over 15,700 units. In the same month last year, the former registered 23,182 units compared to the 28,131 registered by Tesla.
The best-selling Chinese-owned car brands were Volvo, BYD and Polestar. While Volvo recorded a 30% drop in BEV registrations, BYD and Polestar made substantial gains, with increases of 94% and 84% respectively. Xpeng also performed well with more than 1,000 units, closely followed by Leapmotor with almost 900 units.
Europe Car Sales Statistics
→ Latest European Car Sales Statistics
- 2025 Market Analysis: January, February, March
- 2025 (Q1): Car Sales by Country, Best-Selling Brands, Electric Cars
- 2025 (Outlook) Europe: Car and Electric Car Sales Forecasts
- 2024 (Full Year): Market Analysis, Car Sales by Country, Electric Sales by Country, Best-Selling Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models
- 2024: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
- Full-Year 2023: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Car Models
