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Electrified cars drive Europe auto sales growth as Chinese brands gain ground

By Thomson Reuters Jul 22, 2026 | 11:19 PM

July 23 (Reuters) – Demand for electrified cars continued to underpin growth in Europe’s auto ​market in June, offsetting a ‌sharp decline in petrol and diesel sales, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed on Thursday.

Growth ‌in ​car registrations, a ⁠proxy for sales, ⁠also helped Chinese brands expand their footprint further across the European Union, Britain and the ​European Free Trade Association.

• Total car registrations rose 13.1% to ⁠1,407,332 vehicles

• Battery-electric, ⁠plug-in hybrid and hybrid ​car registrations climbed 51%, 22.7% ​and 17.1%, respectively, together accounting for ‌more than 80% of all new vehicles

• Petrol and diesel car registrations fell 12.2% and ⁠16.9% respectively

• Chinese automakers BYD, Chery and Leapmotor sold between almost three ⁠and six ‌times more than ⁠last year, SAIC and ​Geely ‌sales rose more than 50% ​and ⁠11% respectively

• Registrations at Renault , Stellantis and Volkswagen rose between 3.6% and 7.3%

(Reporting by Mathias de Rozario in Gdansk; Editing by ​Matt Scuffham)