Almost a quarter of all cars now sold in Europe are fully electric

European battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations hit a 23.6 per cent market share in May 2026 across 17 key markets tracked (including Ireland), meaning nearly one in four cars sold across the continent were fully electric.

A total of 212,387 electric cars were registered, up 34.4 per cent year-on-year. Year-to-date, these markets combined have now registered 962,010 BEVs, up 31.8 per cent in 2025.

France led Europe’s large markets with a 29.5 per cent BEV share in May, ahead of Germany at 25 per cent, with 59,969 registrations and 41.5 per cent year-to-date growth.

Ireland’s year-to-date BEV registration growth was the third highest among the country’s tracked, up 54.5 per cent.

Italy remained the fastest-growing market, with registrations up 100.8 per cent year-to-date following new subsidies, reaching an 8.8 per cent per cent share in May.

High-share markets included Norway (97.8 per cent), Denmark (78.7 per cent), Finland (49.6 per cent) and Belgium (36.8 per cent), while Sweden and the Netherlands saw a drop in year-to-date registrations.

Spain, Poland, Romania and Slovakia each recorded growth above 28 per cent year-to-date but remain at or below 10 per cent market share.

Chris Heron, secretary general of E-Mobility Europe, said: “Electric vehicles are one of Europe’s biggest growth stories in 2026. Nearly one in four new cars sold in May were fully electric.

“Consumers and governments alike are responding to Europe’s energy security challenge, with every new electric car sold cutting fuel costs and permanently reducing oil imports. It is particularly encouraging to see European manufacturers benefiting from this growing demand.”