EU passenger car registrations rose by 4.5% year-on-year to 708.2 thousand units in August 2026, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth and an acceleration from the 3.0% increase recorded in July. The market continued to benefit from strong consumer demand for a wide range of electrified vehicles, supported in particular by policy incentives and an expanding range of available models.
The bloc’s four largest markets all posted solid gains: Spain (+11.8%), France (+7.4%), Italy (+3.2%), and Germany (+2.6%). Over the first eight months of 2026, new EU car registrations were up 5.3%, despite ongoing geopolitical headwinds and rising energy prices.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 21.7% of the EU market, up from 15.8% a year earlier, underscoring the continued momentum of the shift toward electrification. Three of the four largest markets, which together represented 64% of total BEV registrations, recorded particularly strong growth in BEV uptake: France (+74.2%), Germany (+53.1%), and Denmark (+40.9%).
