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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

(Corrects 2nd bullet point to say electrified cars accounted for almost 70%, not 80%, of ​new vehicles)

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 almost 70% 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)