Electric cars more popular than diesels in the EU for the first time

More than 1.04 million new passenger cars were registered in the European Union last month. This is evident from figures from trade association ACEA. Another significant increase compared to the same month last year (+17.8 percent). Nevertheless, sales are well below 2019. In the first half of this year, more than 5.4 million cars were sold in the EU, which was 17.9 percent more than last year, but 21 percent less than in 2019. On the one hand, ACEA sees a recovery after the parts shortages that plagued the car industry last year, but on the other hand, sales are well below pre-corona levels.

There was a notable shift in the fuel mix of new passenger cars sold in the EU last month. Fully electric cars were more popular than diesel cars for the first time, according to the ACEA. The share of new diesels sold in June stalled at 13.4 percent (was 17.4 percent last year), while fully electric cars accounted for 15.1 percent (was 10.7 percent). Over the first six months, diesel cars were still more popular than electric ones; 14.5 percent vs. 12.9 percent). Petrol cars are still at the top, accounting for 36.3 percent of sales in the EU last month and 37.2 percent in the past six months. Unplugged hybrids follow with 24.3 percent share in June and 24.9 percent share in H1.

Electric in the Netherlands already at the top

In the Netherlands, fully electric electric cars were the most popular last month. They accounted for 33.6 percent of Dutch sales according to ACEA. Petrol cars followed with a 29.5 percent share, hybrids without a plug were in third place with a share of 22.9 percent. It is already the third month this year that EVs take the largest share of sales in our country. Viewed over the first half of the year, petrol models are just ahead of them, with a share of 33.3 percent versus 28.9 percent.