Electric Cars Gain Ground in the EU: Germany Leads Market – High Fuel Prices Drive Switch in 2026
Wiesbaden – Battery electric cars accounted for a record 17.3 percent of new passenger car registrations in the EU in 2025. Germany was the largest market, with around 545,100 newly registered electric cars and a 28.9 percent share of EU-wide registrations, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said, citing data from the European statistics agency Eurostat.
EV Registrations 2025: Denmark Leads the EU with 67.8 Percent – Norway Reaches 95.1 Percent
Within the EU, Denmark recorded the highest share of electric cars in new registrations in 2025, at 67.8 percent. It was followed by the Netherlands with 40.2 percent and Malta with 37.6 percent. Germany, at 19.1 percent, was slightly above the EU average. The lowest shares were registered in Croatia (1.9 percent), Slovakia (4.7 percent) and Bulgaria (4.9 percent).
Norway stands out in Europe. In the non-EU country, electric cars already accounted for 95.1 percent of all new passenger car registrations in 2025. According to Destatis, the reasons for the differing market shares include national conditions for the expansion of charging infrastructure as well as tax breaks and other financial incentives.
Across the EU, hybrid vehicles accounted for a further 42.4 percent of new passenger car registrations in 2025. Petrol-only vehicles had a share of 27.3 percent, while diesel-only vehicles reached 9.8 percent. Other drive types such as liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas played a minor role.
Germany 2026: EV Share Rises to 32.4 Percent in August – High Fuel Prices Accelerate Switch
With around 545,100 newly registered electric cars, Germany was the largest market in the EU in 2025. Germany accounted for 28.9 percent of all EU-wide electric car registrations, followed by France with 330,900 vehicles and a share of 17.5 percent.
In 2026, the ramp-up of electric mobility in Germany has accelerated further. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), 68,930 electric cars were newly registered in August, an increase of 75.1 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. The market share of 32.4 percent was the highest monthly figure since December 2022.
A key driver is the sharp rise in fuel prices following the Iran war. According to ADAC, Super E10 petrol reached a new monthly high in August 2026, at an average of EUR 2.145 per litre. Diesel cost an average of EUR 2.223 per litre over the month.
The impact of high fuel prices on vehicle replacement is also reflected in the E-Barometer of car insurer HUK-Coburg: in the second quarter of 2026, 12.0 percent of private vehicle owners who replaced their car switched from a combustion-engine vehicle to an electric car. Before fuel prices rose, this rate stood at 6.3 percent. In addition, 24 percent of the driving licence holders surveyed said that, due to higher fuel prices, they were considering buying an electric car for the first time or bringing forward a planned purchase.
The current data from Germany thus show a significantly accelerated shift to electric cars under the influence of high fuel prices. The Europe-wide registration figures for 2026 will show whether other EU countries are seeing a comparable shift.
Source: IWR Online, 23 Sep 2026
