The data published by Acea confirm the positive trend of the car market in Europe, which records a total increase in registrations compared to March 2025. The trend of the first three months of 2026 is also good, with the market share of hybrid, electric and plug-in cars continuing to grow throughout Europe, thanks also to the incentives promoted by individual countries
Car registrations in Europe are growing again: as noted by Aceathe European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in March the European Union market, including the EFTA member countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and the United Kingdom, recorded an increase in11.1% compared to March 2025 at 1.58 million units. In the first quarter the increase was instead +4.1%with 3.52 million registrations. In the European Union alone, registrations rose by 12.5% in March, registering 1.16 million new units, and of 4% in the quarter (2.82 million units). Volumes, while remaining below the 2019 threshold, are slowly closing their distance from those of the pre-pandemic period. Among the major European markets, the largest increase was recorded in March Germany (+16%), followed by France (+12.9%), Spain (+11.7%) e Italy (+7.6%), which in the first three months of 2026 recorded an increase in registrations of 9.2%compared to the first three months of 2025.
engines
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In the first quarter of 2026, 546,937 new cars were registered electrical battery operated, equal to 19.4% of the European Union market share, up from 15.2% the previous year. Car registrations hybridequal to 1,089,421 units, have conquered the 38.6% of the market, remaining the preferred choice of consumers in the European Union. Growth was driven above all by volumes sold in Italy (+25.8%) and Spain (+18.5%), with a positive contribution also recorded by Germany (+7.4%) and France (+3.1%). Car registrations plug-in hybrids continue to grow, reaching 268,344 units in the first three months of 2026. This increase is mainly due to volume growth in key markets such as Italy (+110.1%), Spain (+74.2%) and Germany (+19.3%). As a result, new plug-in hybrid electric cars now represent the 9.5% of registrations in the EU, compared to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2025. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, car registrations in gas have decreased by -18.2%with declines in all major markets. France recorded the most significant contraction, with a -40.3% drop in registrations, while other key markets also saw double-digit drops: in Italy the decline recorded was -18.6%, in Spain -18.1% and in Germany -16.1%. With 636,502 new cars registered in the last three months, the market share of petrol cars fell to 22.6% from 28.7% in the first quarter of 2025. Also the car market Diesel continues to follow a negative trend, albeit at a slower pace, with a decline in registrations -15.7% and a share of 7.7% of new registrations in the first quarter of 2026. The combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 30.3%compared to 38.2% in the first quarter of 2025.
the houses
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As for the manufacturers, in the month of March the Volkswagen Group confirmed its leadership in Europe, with 296,431 new registrations (+7.8% compared to March 2025; +2.5% compared to the first quarter of last year). Among the individual brands stand out Skoda (+21.2%/+16.9%) e Audi (+18.5%/+6.7%) while Volkswagen recorded a +2.2% in March, but a decline of 3.6% in the first quarter of the year. In the first three months of the new year, it is Stellantis recorded the best numbers, with a growth of +8.5% from January to March, the month in which 184,842 new units were registered (+6.8% compared to March 2025): this growth was possible above all thanks to the contribution of Fiat (+26.7% in March and +36% in the first three months of 2026), Opel (+22.9%/+24.2%), Lance (+15.3%/+15.7%) e Citroën (+18.3%/+12%). Positive numbers also for BMW/Mini (+19.8% in the month and +5.2% in the quarter) e Mercedes-Benz (+3.8%/+4%). Honorable mention for Teslawhich doubled its registrations in March (+101.9%), also recording excellent growth in the first quarter (+59.6% compared to the first three months of 2025). Finally, the Chinese electric cars: Saic Motor tops Volvo in the rankings in registrations, thanks to growth over the month of 6% and over the quarter of 5.9%. The impetuous growth of Bydwhich recorded a surge in registrations of +155.2% compared to March 2025, more than doubling its sales volumes compared to the first quarter of last year (+169.7%).
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