Electric car sales edge past petrol cars in EU in December 2025

Sales of fully electric cars in the European Union (EU) exceeded those of petrol-only cars for the first time in December 2025, according to data cited by Reuters. The development reflects a gradual shift in the EU car market towards electrified mobility, even as hybrid vehicles continued to dominate overall registrations.

In December 2025, fully electric cars accounted for 22.6% of new registrations in the EU, marginally higher than petrol cars at 22.5%. Hybrid vehicles, including plug-in models, recorded the largest share at 44%. Electrified vehicles, which include fully electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric models, together made up 67% of all new car registrations in the EU during the month.

The milestone comes amid rising competition from Chinese automakers such as BYD, Changan and Geely, alongside increased electric vehicle (EV) launches by European manufacturers including Volkswagen and BMW. Although the EU has recently relaxed its planned 2035 ban on combustion-engine cars, industry analysts cited by Reuters expect EV adoption to continue expanding. They note that it could still take around five years for fully electric cars to consistently outsell combustion-engine models across the region.

Overall car sales across the EU, the United Kingdom and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) rose 7.6% in December to about 1.2 million vehicles. For the full year 2025, sales increased 2.4% to 13.3 million vehicles, marking the highest level in five years, though volumes remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Looking ahead, E-Mobility Europe Secretary General Chris Heron said growing consumer acceptance and the availability of more affordable EV models support expectations of continued sales growth in 2026.

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