In a robust display of growth, the European Union’s (EU) car market experienced a 6.7% increase in new registrations during November 2023, marking the sixteenth consecutive month of expansion. Noteworthy double-digit gains were seen in Italy (+16.2%) and France (+14%), while Germany faced a 5.7% decline compared to the same month in 2022. Over the first eleven months of 2023, new car registrations across the EU soared by a significant 15.7%, totaling almost ten million units. All EU markets, except Hungary, contributed to this growth, with Italy, Spain, France, and Germany being the primary drivers.
In November, the market share of battery-electric cars in the EU reached 16.3%, up from 15% the previous year. This growth contributed to an overall 14.2% year-to-date share, surpassing diesel at 13.7%. Hybrid-electric cars secured a 27.4% market share, while petrol cars maintained the lead at 32.7%.
In November 2023, new battery-electric car registrations in the EU surged by 16.4%, totaling 144,378 units. Belgium notably emerged as a key player with a remarkable 150.2% growth, securing its position as the fifth-largest market. However, Germany experienced a setback with a 22.5% decline. Despite this, the year-to-date volume reached nearly 1.4 million units, reflecting a substantial 48.2% increase compared to the previous year and a 14.2% share of the EU car market.
New registrations of hybrid-electric cars saw a significant uptick of 28.7% in November, driven by substantial growth in Germany (+38.4%), France (+35.8%), and Italy (+30.2%). The cumulative increase over the eleven months reached almost 2.5 million units, representing over a quarter of the EU market share.
Conversely, plug-in hybrid electric car sales declined by 22.1% to 72,002 units in November. Despite gains in Belgium (+43.8%) and France (+17.8%), these were offset by Germany’s substantial decline (-59.3%), leading to an 8.1% market share, down from 11.1% last year.
In November 2023, the EU petrol car market grew by 4.2%, reaching a market share of 32.7%, despite a continual decline. Italy (+20.2%) and Germany (+12.5%) contributed significantly to this growth, resulting in a cumulative volume of 3.5 million units sold over the eleven-month period.
On the other hand, the EU diesel car market continued its downward trend in November, contracting by 10.3%. While diesel sales declined in major markets, such as France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, certain Central and Eastern European markets, like Poland (+13.8%), experienced growth. Diesel cars represented a market share of 12.2%, down from 14.5% in the same month last year.
