In December, plug-in electric car sales in Europe decreased by 29% year-over-year. However, it wasn’t that bad because the base of December 2022 was inflated by the rush for EVs before the incentives ended.
According to EV Volumes data shared by researcher Jose Pontes, 294,166 new plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe in December. The market share amounted to 28% (compared to 38% a year ago).
Get Fully Charged
The year 2023 brought a slight increase in EV sales in Europe
In 2023, more than 3 million plug-in electric cars were sold in Europe. That’s 16% more than in 2022 and 24% of the total market.
All-electric car registrations decreased by about 25% year-over-year to 205,922, taking 20% of the market. Not bad for a “slow month” without special one-off boosts.
Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids were down 36% year-over-year to 88,244 registrations, accounting for 8% of the market.
Plug-in car registrations in December (YOY change):
- BEVs: about 205,922 (down 25%) and 20% market share
- PHEVs: about 88,244 (down 36%) and 8% market share
- Total: 294,166 (down 29%) and 28% market share
* Estimated from the market share
In 2023, slightly over 2.7 million passenger plug-in electric cars have been registered in Europe, 16% more than a year ago—despite December. For reference, the overall market expanded by 14% last year. The market share amounted to 24% (compared to 23% in 2022, 19% in 2021 and 11% in 2020).
The all-electric car segment noted a 16% increase to over 1.8 million units and a 16% market share (compared to 14% in 2022 and 10% in 2021).
Plug-in car registrations in 2023 (YOY change):
- BEVs: about *1.84 million and 16% market share
- PHEVs: about *1.17 million up and 8% market share
- Total: 3,016,880 (up 16%) and 24% market share
* Estimated from the market share
For reference, in 2022, more than 2.6 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe (about 23% of the total volume).
The main question is whether the year 2024 will bring us at least a slight growth too.
The Tesla Model Y was Europe’s best-selling plug-in model for the 14th month in a row in December, securing also the win in the overall standings for the month and for the year 2023.
The Tesla Model 3 was the second most popular plug-in model in December and in 2023, with a noticeable advantage over others.
The SAIC’s MG 4—imported from China—achieved a big success with 9,196 units in December and third position among plug-ins. Skoda Enyaq iV and BMW i4/iX1 also can celebrate strong results.
Results for the month:
- Tesla Model Y – 25,041
- Tesla Model 3 – 13,152
- MG 4 – 9,196
- Skoda Enyaq iV – 8,377
- BMW i4 – 7,731
- BMW iX1 – 7,285
- Volkswagen ID.4 – 7,106
- Fiat 500 electric – 6,385
- Audi Q4 e-tron – 5,516
- Dacia Spring – 5,208
In 2023, the Tesla Model Y noted more than 255,000 new registrations in Europe. The car is locally produced in Germany and quickly became the best-selling car overall in Europe.
Next, we can see the Tesla Model 3 with over 101,000, the Volkswagen ID.4 with over 83,000 and the Skoda Enyaq iV with almost 79,000.
Results in January-December:
- Tesla Model Y – 255,062
- Tesla Model 3 – 101,313
- Volkswagen ID.4 – 83,033
- Skoda Enyaq iV – 78,739
- Volvo XC40 – 73,650 (50,839 BEVs + 22,811 PHEVs)
- MG 4 – 72,421
- Audi Q4 e-tron – 69,529
- Fiat 500 electric – 64,579
- Volkswagen ID.3 – 63,475
- Dacia Spring – 59,331
Through the end of December, Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen brands noted the highest number of new plug-in car registrations. BMW ahead of Volkswagen (with Mercedes-Benz not far behind) is probably the most interesting thing. Of course, in the case of Tesla, all cars are all-electric, while other brands also sell plug-in hybrids.
In terms of automotive groups, the Volkswagen Group with over 21% share was far ahead of Stellantis (13.1%) and Tesla (12.1%).
Top brands by share in the plug-in segment in January-December:
- Tesla – 12.1%
- BMW – 8.8%
- Volkswagen – 8.2%
- Mercedes-Benz – 7.8%
- Audi – 5.8%
- Volvo – 5.6%
Top automotive groups by share in the plug-in segment in January-December:
- Volkswagen Group – 21.2% share (Volkswagen brand at 8.2%)
- Stellantis – 13.1%
- Tesla – 12.1%
- BMW Group – 10.4% share (BMW brand at 8.8%)
- Mercedes-Benz Group – 8.4% (Mercedes-Benz brand at 7.8%)
- Hyundai Motor Group – 8.3%
