For the first time, EU electric vehicle registrations beat gasoline cars in December 2025, driven by hybrid reclassification and fierce competition. Read more.
Key Stats for December 2025
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), pure‑electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 22.6 % of all new registrations in the EU in December 2025 – a slight edge over gasoline‑only cars, which held 22.5 %.
Hybrid models, including plug‑in hybrids (PHEVs), remain the dominant segment, commanding a 44.4 % market share.
Why Hybrid Numbers Matter
Analyst Matthias Schmidt points out that the apparent dip in gasoline sales is partly the result of many models being re‑classified as “mild‑hybrid” vehicles. These cars still run on internal‑combustion engines but are counted in a separate, lower‑emission category, reducing the gasoline share on paper.
“It will still take about half a decade before pure‑electric cars truly surpass internal‑combustion models across the region. Nevertheless, this is a noteworthy milestone,” Schmidt said.
Policy Shifts and Industry Response
In December 2025, the EU announced a postponement of the 2035 phase‑out ban on new combustion‑engine cars, a concession to manufacturers facing intense competition from Chinese EV makers and pressure from U.S. import duties.
Competitive Landscape
Chinese brands such as BYD, Changan and Geely are expanding rapidly in Europe, while legacy players like Volkswagen and BMW continue to launch new EVs. Registration data for December shows Volkswagen up 10.2 % and Stellantis up 4.5 % in the EU, UK and EFTA region, whereas Renault fell 2.2 %.
Tesla’s registrations dropped sharply by 20.2 %, contrasted with BYD’s explosive 229.7 % increase.
Overall Market Outlook
ACEA reports that total vehicle registrations in the EU, UK and EFTA rose 7.6 % in December, reaching roughly 1.2 million units. For the full year 2025, sales climbed 2.4 % to 13.3 million – the highest figure in the past five years, though still below pre‑pandemic levels.
Within the EU alone, December registrations grew 5.8 % to just under one million vehicles, with BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs increasing by 51 %, 36.7 % and 5.8 % respectively. Together, these electrified models accounted for 67 % of all new registrations in the bloc.