Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 28, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEuropean car sales rose 10.7% in September, led by Germany and the UK, with electric vehicles gaining traction but still below target levels.
By Amir Orusov
(Reuters) -New car sales in Europe rose 10.7% in September, driven by growth in almost all markets led by Germany and the UK, European Automobile Manufacturers' Association data showed on Tuesday.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Europe's struggling car industry is grappling with multiple challenges, including high production costs, U.S. import tariffs, a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles and the risk of supply disruptions stemming from a stand-off between China and the Netherlands over chipmaker Nexperia.
Carmakers have ramped up PHEV sales to comply with emissions standards by producing cars that are more affordable and profitable than pure EVs.
BY THE NUMBERS
Sales in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association rose to 1.237 million cars in September, driven in part by the launch of new models, ACEA data showed.
Registrations at Volkswagen, Stellantis and Renault rose year-on-year by 9.7%, 11.5% and 15.2%, respectively.
Tesla's sales dropped 10.5%, squeezing its market share to 3.2% from 4.0% a year ago. BYD's sales rose 398% to give it 2% of the market from 0.4% in September of 2024.
Total EU car sales rose 10%. Registrations of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric cars were up 20%, 65.4% and 15.9%, respectively, to account collectively for about 64% of the bloc's registrations, up from 57% in September 2024.
Overall sales rose 12.8% in Germany, 13.7% in the UK, 16.4% in Spain, 4.2% in Italy and 1% in France.
QUOTE
"The battery-electric car market share held steady at 16.1% YTD, still below the pace required at this stage of the transition," ACEA said.
(Reporting by Amir Orusov; Editing by Alexander Smith)
An electric vehicle (EV) is a type of vehicle that is powered by electricity, either fully or partially, as opposed to traditional gasoline or diesel engines.
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) combines a conventional internal combustion engine with an electric motor, allowing it to run on electricity or gasoline.
Car sales trends refer to the patterns and changes in the buying behavior of consumers regarding new and used vehicles over time.
The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) represents the interests of the automobile industry in Europe, providing data and insights on market performance.
Market share is the percentage of an industry's sales that a particular company controls, indicating its competitiveness within that market.
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