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EVs Lift Europe’s Q1 Car Market as Share Reaches One-Fifth

Rising fuel costs helped push more Europeans to plug-in cars.

Nearly one in five cars sold in the EU in the first three months of this year was an electric vehicle

Overview

  • ACEA data show March new-car registrations in the EU rose 12.5% to 1.16 million, which pulled the first quarter back to roughly 4% growth.
  • Europe registered 723,704 battery-electric cars in Q1, up 26.2% year over year, giving fully electric models about a 19–21% share of the market.
  • Data Force figures report Tesla’s Model Y led March with 33,723 registrations after a 117% jump from a year earlier, while Renault’s Clio finished Q1 on top with 55,763.
  • ACEA reports hybrids took 37% of Q1 sales and plug-in hybrids climbed, while petrol and diesel models fell sharply as pump prices spiked after late-February conflict in the Middle East.
  • InsideEVs cites Cox Automotive showing the U.S. bought 216,339 EVs in Q1 with a lower 5.8% share, reflecting weaker demand after the federal tax credit ended.