Europe’s EV sales surge: Norway, Sweden top the chart

broad electric vehicle sales in 2025: a global snapshot

beyond the buzz of new models, European sales of battery‑electric cars (BEVs) and plug‑in hybrids (PHEVs) are sliding, even as mainstream manufacturers and Chinese newcomers vie for market share. A recent evaluation by TradingPedia, drawing on ACEA registration data and IEA statistics, paints a detailed picture of who is moving forward and who is lagging.

Europe’s leaders and the shifting momentum

• Norway remains the front‑line with 92 % of new car registrations electrified. BEV sales rose 9.4 % y‑o‑y, while PHEV numbers fell 66 %, yet overall registrations gained 2.7 %.
• Sweden and Denmark follow with EV shares of 58 % and 56 %. Sweden’s 2024 market slipped 9 % while Denmark surged 20 %.
• Iceland ranked seventh in Europe and eighth globally with 42 % of new cars electric. The country saw a steep 60 % decline from 10,531 BEVs and PHEVs in 2023 to just 4,307 in 2024.
• Finland and the Netherlands each adopted about 50 % of new vehicles. Finland dropped 22 % y‑o‑y, whereas the Netherlands rose 15 %. Netherlands’ 2024 sales reached 185,000, just behind Belgium’s 195,000.
• Germany and the United Kingdom entered the top global rankings: 573,000 and 549,000 BEVs/PHEVs sold in 2024. Market shares stood at 20 % for Germany and 28 % for the UK.

Eastern Europe’s slower adoption

Poland (5.7 %), Romania (6.5 %) and Czechia (6.8 %) trail western neighbours, but growth was uneven: Czechia (+32 %) and Estonia (+29 %) saw strong rises, while Romania (-32 %) recorded a decline.

2024 overall vehicle registrations and the rise of hybrids

Across the continent, total new registrations of BEVs and PHEVs slipped slightly: a 2.18 % drop to just under 2.93 million vehicles.

Hybrid sales grew nearly 20 % to over 4 million, while petrol vehicles remained the most registered new cars at 4.2 million, with diesel at 1.3 million (10.4 % of new sales). Overall, petrol cars account for 33 %, hybrids 31.4 %, and EVs 22.7 % of the new fleet.

Except for hybrids, every other vehicle segment saw a decline, with diesel suffering the steepest drop at almost 12 % compared to 2023. Hybrids are now gaining traction, even as pure EV growth softens and traditional fuels maintain a significant share.

Implications for the European EV shift

These figures underline a gradual transition toward cleaner mobility: pure EV adoption is stabilising, hybrids are turning ground, and classic internal‑combustion cars persist. The evolving landscape reflects the continent’s gradual embrace of sustainable transport, with policy, pricing and technology shaping the pace of the electric revolution.