Alternative-powered vehicles continued to gain market share from diesel- and gasoline-powered, internal combustion engine automobiles in the first quarter in the European Union, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association showed May 5.
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Hybrid-electric vehicles represented 25.1% of total passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union in Q1, up from 20.9% in Q1 2021, while battery-electric vehicles almost doubled their market share year on year to 10%, surpassing plug-in hybrids, which accounted for 8.9% of the EU market. Diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles still dominated the market, with a combined share of 52.8% during the quarter.
Gasoline and diesel vehicles
The EU’s Q1 diesel vehicle registrations fell 33.2% year on year to 378,009 units. The market share of diesel-fueled vehicles shrank 5.3 percentage points year on year to 16.8%. Diesel registrations in France fell 44.1%, Italy 39.2%, Spain 30.8%, and Germany 20.2%.
The market share of petrol vehicles contracted to 36.0% in Q1, from 40.8% a year ago, with petrol vehicles the most popular choice in the market and registrations of 808,039 units.
Alternative-powered vehicles
BEVs registrations surged 53.4% year on year to 224,145 vehicles in the EU in Q1, with some EU markets showing a triple-digit gain. Registrations in Spain jumped 110.3%, France 42.7% and Germany 29.3%. Italy was the only EU market to post declines in BEV registrations of 14.9%, while Romania recorded an increase of 408%.
PHEV registrations slipped 5.3% year on year in the EU during the quarter to 199,107 units.
HEVs were the most common fuel type after petrol in the EU, with Q1 registrations up 5.3% year on year at 563,030 units. The EU’s registrations of natural gas vehicles slumped 56% year on year in Q1 to 6,289 units.
LPG-fueled vehicle registrations jumped 48.6% year on year to 67,717 units in the quarter.
— Annalisa Villa
