In a historic shift, more electric vehicles (EVs) than diesel cars were registered in the European Union (EU) for the first time in June, according to the European manufacturers’ association ACEA.
The number of new battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged by 66.2% in June compared to the same month last year, reaching 158,252 cars. This increase boosted the BEV’s share of new registrations to 15.1%, up from 10.7% in June 2022. Meanwhile, the market share of diesel cars slipped from 17.4% to 13.4% compared to June 2022, and plug-in hybrids saw a slight dip from 8.2% to 7.9%.
In the first half of the year, 703,586 battery-electric passenger cars were newly registered in the EU, marking a 53.8% increase from the same period last year. Despite a temporary decline in EV registrations in some countries due to changes in subsidy guidelines, new registrations of electric cars have since rebounded.
The Tesla Model Y emerged as the best-selling model in Europe across all drive types, according to preliminary figures from market research company Dataforce. The Model Y’s sales soared from 40,147 units in the first half of 2022 to 125,144 units in the same period this year, outpacing the second-placed model, the Dacia Sandero, by around 7,000 sales. The Tesla Model 3 secured the 50th place with 38,843 units sold in the first half of the year.
This shift in consumer preference is not necessarily due to the weakness of the competition, but rather the strong growth of Tesla. It’s a clear sign that the electric revolution is gaining momentum in Europe, reshaping the automotive landscape.
