The fact that diesels now also have to lose a lot of popularity in Europe is now supported by the figures. Fewer diesels were sold in the last quarter of 2019, while petrol cars and also fully or partially electric cars are gaining ground.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), 3.7 percent fewer diesels were sold in the EU in the last quarter of last year. The fall seems to be not so bad, but compared to gasoline the shift can still be called strong. The number of petrol cars sold rose by 11.9 percent in the same period.
Electric cars made an impressive step, although the tax measures in the Netherlands are largely responsible for this. With 91,225 copies, 76.5 percent more EVs were sold than in the same period last year, but more than a third of this was due to the huge “addition run” that was going on in the Netherlands. For comparison: in the Netherlands 32,141 EVs went on registration, the number two (Germany) did not go further than 15,436 registrations.
In total, “rechargeable vehicles” in the EU accounted for 4.4 percent of the total. However, this category also includes plug-in hybrids, which did 86.4 percent better than before. If we also include regular hybrids and other alternative-powered cars, such as those on natural gas or LPG, the increase is 66.2 percent.