France and Germany provide the volume
France grew 61.3% to 242,852 BEVs. Income-related purchase support, social leasing and increasingly punitive taxation of higher-emission cars are pushing consumers and corporate fleets towards electric vehicles.
Germany increased 48.6% to 367,388 registrations, making it Europe’s largest BEV market in this analysis. A new income-related purchase grant of up to €6,000 was introduced in January 2026. Favourable company-car taxation and accelerated depreciation are also strengthening fleet demand.
Together, France and Germany registered more than 610,000 BEVs, almost half the total across the 17 markets.
Policy stability supports the rest of the top 10
Ireland grew 48.7%, supported by purchase grants, registration-tax relief and favourable company-car taxation.
Denmark increased 41.2%. The planned rise in BEV registration tax from 40% to 48% was postponed, giving buyers greater price certainty. With BEVs already representing almost 80% of new registrations, Denmark combines high penetration with continued growth.
Finland followed with 39.8% growth, ahead of Portugal at 33.4%, Spain at 31.0% and Czechia at 24.4%.
Portugal combines purchase support with substantial corporate tax benefits. Spain is replacing its previous subsidy structure with incentives applied directly at the point of purchase. Czech growth has been driven primarily by business investment programmes and a wider selection of electric models.
Why the Netherlands and Sweden temporarily slowed
The Netherlands recorded an 18.7% decline, despite BEVs still holding a strong 32.8% market share. Sweden declined by 10.6%, while maintaining a BEV share of 37.8%.
These are not markets moving away from electric driving. Both have a relatively mature EV market and their total electric fleets continue to expand. The decline relates specifically to new registrations compared with an earlier, stronger period.
In the Netherlands, the reduced company-car tax ended after 2025 and BEV owners began paying a larger proportion of regular road tax in 2026. These changes created an incentive to register vehicles before the end of 2025, pulling demand forward and weakening H1 2026 registrations.
Sweden has experienced a similar normalisation following changes to its incentive system and more cautious consumer spending.
The long-term European EV outlook remains positive
Subsidies and taxation still have a significant short-term impact. They can accelerate demand, postpone purchases or create temporary registration peaks before financial benefits change.
However, subsidies are likely to become less decisive over time. The value for money of electric cars continues to improve, not only for corporate fleets but increasingly for private consumers.
More affordable models are entering the market, driving ranges are increasing and the availability of competitively priced used BEVs is expanding. Combined with lower energy and maintenance costs, this strengthens the economic case for electric driving without depending entirely on government support.
As electric vehicles become the better product and the better financial choice, market fundamentals will gradually replace subsidies as the primary driver of European EV growth.
About the author
This article was written by Paul Jan Jacobs, Managing Partner and Founder of EVBoosters Executive Search. Active in the European e-mobility and EV charging market since 2010, Paul Jan regularly writes about the charging industry and its impact on leadership, organization building, and executive talent.
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Since 2018, EVBoosters Executive Search has supported companies in EV charging and e-mobility with building the leadership and local teams needed to scale across European markets, from country managers and commercial leaders to operational, product, executive and board / C-level positions.
