In March, European car buyers registered a record number of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs). According to data from the service provider Dataforce for the “Handelsblatt”, the figure for new electric vehicle registrations reached approximately 360,000, representing a boost of about 40 percent compared to the previous year’s month.
This rapid growth in the electric segment significantly outpaces the development of the broader European car market. Overall new registrations increased by about 9 percent, totaling 1.7 million units. This pattern is partially attributed to a marked downturn in new registrations of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Sales of cars powered purely by combustion engines are declining sharply, falling by roughly 13 percent to approximately 470,000 units, suggesting that car registrations are gradually converging toward being dominated by electrified models.
The growing popularity of electric vehicles is also evident in the used car market. Christian Lindner, former finance minister and current sales director at the car dealer Autoland, noted an increase in interest in BEVs, particularly in rural areas. However, he pointed out that customers are increasingly opting for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which combine both combustion and electric engines, noting that these models have also gained popularity, with new registrations for PHEVs rising by 28 percent in March. Lindner added that the trend of increasing BEV sales is also visible in large metropolitan areas, though the situation differs from rural regions.
Experts suggest that while market fluctuations contribute to the current trend, the primary drivers for this shift are state subsidy programs across Europe combined with the continually expanding supply of electric cars.
