Overall, 2023 was a year of robust expansion for the EU car market, growing by 13.9% from 2022 and reaching a volume of 10.5 million units. Remarkably, all EU markets grew last year, with the exception of Hungary.
In the realm of power sources, battery-electric cars rose to prominence, becoming the third-most-popular choice among buyers. Their market share in December soared to 18.5%, contributing to a significant 14.6% share for the full year, surpassing diesel’s steady 13.6%. Petrol cars, however, retained their lead with a 35.3% market share, while hybrid-electric vehicles claimed the second spot at 25.8%.
Despite the overall growth, December 2023 marked the first decline in new battery-electric car sales since April 2020, dropping by 16.9% to 160,700 units. This decrease was mainly due to a strong performance in the previous December and a substantial downturn in Germany, the largest market for EVs. Yet, the total volume for 2023 exceeded 1.5 million units, a staggering 37% increase from 2022, highlighting the growing preference for electric mobility in Europe.
Hybrid-electric cars also saw a surge in December, with a 26% increase driven by significant gains in Germany, France, and Spain. This growth contributed to a 29.5% increase for the year, with over 2.7 million units sold in 2023, representing a quarter of the EU market share.
Contrastingly, the plug-in hybrid electric car segment witnessed a downturn, with a 40.2% decline in December 2023. Despite increases in Belgium and France, a severe drop in Germany led to a 7% decrease in the EU market for 2023, now holding a 7.7% market share.
The petrol car market in the EU saw a 5.1% growth in December, led by Italy and Germany, reaching a total of 3.7 million units for the year. However, the market share for petrol cars slightly declined from 36.4% in 2022 to 35.3% in 2023.
Meanwhile, diesel cars continued their downward trajectory, contracting by 9.1% in December. Despite this, Germany bucked the trend with a 10.3% growth. Overall, diesel car sales in 2023 reached 1.4 million units, accounting for 13.6% of the market, down from 16.4% in 2022.
Source: ACEA
