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A record number of electric cars were registered in western Europe between April and June, as more affordable battery-powered cars came to market, according to new research.
Nearly 600,000 battery electric vehicles (BEV) hit the roads in the last quarter in a boost to sales that have been rising more slowly than previously forecast in the last year.
The record roll out, which is likely to be topped in the current quarter, has come as more affordable BEVs enter the market and sales in southern Europe have accelerated, according to Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based automotive analyst.
“Electric vehicles are becoming more affordable and more attractive to private consumers for the first time. Previously, it was just corporate consumers, company car drivers,” Schmidt said.
While electric cars are much cheaper to own than their petrol equivalents, they often come with a higher purchase price. However, the arrival of smaller and cheaper models is seen as an important step in persuading lower-income buyers to make the switch from fossil fuel vehicles.
European carmakers, such as Citroën-owner Stellantis and Renault, have started to introduce more affordable models to attract price-sensitive potential buyers and bring down the average emissions of their vehicle fleets in line with EU regulations.
The continued rollout of the charging network across Europe is also helping to remove some potential owners’ range anxiety: the name given to drivers’ worries about being able to find a charge point during their journey.
As a result, quarterly sales across western Europe are predicted to exceed 600,000 for the first time between July and September, partly thanks to the September release of a new number plate in the UK which traditionally boosts sales.
Sales of Chinese-made EVs are also rising across Europe, particularly those produced by BYD, which is vying with Elon Musk’s Tesla to become the world’s biggest electric carmaker and is focusing on sales in the UK, Spain and Italy.
A quarter of BYD vehicles shipped to Europe end up on British roads, Schmidt said. The EU introduced tariffs of up to 35% on Chinese-made EVs in late 2024, after a year-long anti-subsidy investigation, a move which has not been followed by the UK. Currently one in 10 electric vehicles currently on European roads are Chinese-made.
In the final months of the year, the revival of a social leasing scheme in France combined with the re-introduction of a UK government electric vehicle subsidy scheme – which will cut the price of some electric cars by up to £3,750 – is also expected to increase sales.
However, in the UK, a discount of up to 10% will only be available for cars priced at less than £37,000, meaning neither Teslas – which start at about £40,000 – nor Chinese-made cars from makers such as BYD will be eligible.
