New battery-electric car registrations in the EU jumped by 25.7% in October compared to the same period last year. But which country is leading the EV race?
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 16.4% of newly registered cars in the EU during the first ten months of 2025, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). That compares with 13.2% over the same period in 2024.
A total of 1,473,447 new electric cars were registered across the EU27 between January and October, over 301,000 more than a year earlier. Germany was the largest contributor, with more than 434,600 new EV registrations and one of the strongest growth rates in the bloc, up 39.4% year-on-year.
Among the EU’s four biggest economies, Spain recorded the sharpest rise, with EV registrations jumping 89.7% to 81,100. Italy saw an increase of 26.5%, while France posted more modest growth of 5.3% over the same period.
In percentage terms, Poland recorded the steepest growth in the bloc. New EV registrations surged 124.6% year on year, although the total of newly registered EVs — 30,641 vehicles — meant battery-electric cars still represented only 6.4% of its overall market.
Some countries with low market share showed outstanding increases in their battery electric vehicle sales, including Slovenia (+99.3%), Slovakia (+77.5%), Lithuania (+62.7%) and Bulgaria (+58.1%).
Registrations fell in a handful of countries, including Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, and Estonia.
The EU car market is growing
Across all fuel types, new EU car registrations rose by 1.4% in the first ten months of 2025 compared with the same period last year, marking a fourth consecutive month of growth, ACEA said.
Hybrid-electric cars remained the most popular choice among EU buyers, taking a 34.6% share of the market. Petrol and diesel models together accounted for 36.6%, down from 46.3% a year earlier.
Among major manufacturers, Volkswagen Group saw sales rise 5.1% in the first ten months of the year, BMW was up 6.3% and Mercedes sales increased by 2%. Renault reported a 7% jump in sales. By contrast, Stellantis (-6%), Toyota (-5.7%) and Hyundai (-4%) all recorded declines. Tesla sales dropped by nearly 40%, while Chinese carmaker BYD registered an almost 240% surge in year-to-date sales in the EU.
