New EU car registrations rise by 5.1% in December

In 2024, new car registrations rose slightly, increasing by 0.8% to around 10.6 million units,  according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Spain continued to show resilience with a solid 7.1% growth rate. In contrast, declines were observed in France (-3.2%), Germany (-1%), and Italy, with a slight drop of 0.5%.

In December 2024, new EU car registrations rose by 5.1%. Spain led the way with a robust double-digit 28.8% increase, followed by France with a modest 1.5% rise. However, among the four largest EU markets, declines were observed in Germany (-7.1%) and Italy (-4.9%).

New EU car registrations by power source

Battery-electric cars remained the third-most-popular choice for buyers in 2024. In December, their market share stood at 15.9%, contributing to a 13.6% share for the full year, again surpassing diesel, which declined to 11.9%. Petrol cars retained their lead at 33.3%, while hybrid-electric cars strengthened their second position, commanding a 30.9% market share.

Electric cars

Registrations of battery-electric cars fell by 10.2% to 144,367 units in December 2024. This decline was primarily driven by a significant decrease in registrations in Germany (-38.6%) and France (-20.7%), leading to a 5.9% decrease in market volume for 2024 compared to 2023. As a result, the total market share for battery-electric cars stood at 13.6% for 2024.

Plug-in hybrid car registrations rose by 4.9% last month, driven by significant increases in France (44.9%) and Germany (6.8%). In December, plug-in hybrids accounted for 8.3%, maintaining the same level as the previous year. However, year-total volumes for 2024 were down by 6.8% compared to 2023.

Hybrid-electric registrations increased by 33.1% in December, with market share rising to 33.6%, up from 26.5% last December, exceeding petrol car registrations for the fourth consecutive month.

Petrol and diesel cars

In December 2024, petrol car registrations dropped by 1.8%, with all major markets showing declines except Spain, which saw an increase of 16%. France experienced the steepest drop, with registrations plummeting by 23%, followed by Italy with an 11.4% decline. Germany also recorded a decrease of 7.4%.

With 269,260 new cars registered last month, the market share for petrol dropped to 29.6%, down from 31.6% in the same month last year. The diesel car market declined by 15%, resulting in a 9.8% market share for diesel vehicles last December. Overall, double-digit declines were observed in most EU markets.