In November 2024, a significant shift was witnessed in the EU car registration landscape. New EU car registrations saw a decline of 1.9%, with France taking the lead with a sharp 12.7% decrease. Italy followed closely with a 10.8% drop, while the German market showed only a slight stagnation at 0.5%. Among the four most prominent EU markets, Spain emerged as the sole bright spot, recording positive growth of 6.4%.

Year-to-Date Trends and Market Stability

As of eleven months into 2024, new car registrations remained relatively stable, with a growth of 0.4% and reaching 9.7 million units. While Spain continued to perform positively with a 5.1% increase, France faced a decline of 3.7%, Germany saw a slight drop of 0.4%, and Italy also experienced a minor setback of 0.2%.

Battery-Electric Cars

The battery-electric car market share in November 2024 witnessed a decline from 16.3% last year to 15%, with volumes dropping by 9.5%. This drop was mainly due to significant decreases in registrations in Germany (-21.8%) and France (-24.4%). Year-to-date, the market volume for battery-electric cars was 5.4% lower than the same period last year, and the total market share now stands at 13.4%.

These figures highlight the challenges faced by the battery-electric car segment in the EU. Despite efforts to promote electric mobility, factors such as high initial costs and limited charging infrastructure continue to impact sales.

However, the demand for electric cars is still on the rise, and manufacturers are constantly working to address these issues and make electric vehicles more accessible to consumers.

Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Plug-in hybrid car registrations also declined by 8.8% in November 2024. The market share for this type of vehicle reached 7.6% last month, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Significant declines were observed in France (-19.6%), Belgium (-61.4%), and Italy (-31.4%).

The performance of plug-in hybrid cars in the EU market is a subject of concern. While they offer a hybrid solution with the option of electric driving, their sales have been affected by various factors, including competition from battery-electric cars and the overall economic climate.

Manufacturers need to focus on improving the performance and affordability of plug-in hybrid cars to regain market share and meet the evolving needs of consumers.

Hybrid-Electric Cars

Hybrid-electric registrations showed a remarkable increase of 18.5% in November. The market share rose to 33.2%, up from 27.5% last November, surpassing petrol car registrations for the third consecutive month.

This surge in hybrid-electric car registrations indicates a growing preference among consumers for fuel-efficient vehicles. Hybrid technology offers a balance between traditional internal combustion engines and electric power, providing better fuel economy and reduced emissions.

As environmental concerns continue to rise, hybrid-electric cars are likely to play a crucial role in the EU's automotive future.

Petrol and Diesel Cars

In November 2024, petrol car sales dropped by 7.8%. All four major markets experienced decreases, with France seeing the steepest drop of 31.5%, followed by Italy with a 12.3% decline. Germany and Spain also recorded declines of 5.4% and 2.3%, respectively. The market share for petrol dropped to 30.6% from 32.5% in the same month last year.

The decline in petrol car sales reflects the changing consumer preferences towards more sustainable and efficient vehicles. As governments around the world implement stricter emissions regulations, petrol cars are facing increased competition from alternative fuel options.

On the other hand, the diesel car market declined by 15.3%, resulting in a 10.6% market share last November. Overall, most EU markets witnessed a decrease in diesel car sales.

The challenges faced by the petrol and diesel car segments highlight the need for the automotive industry to invest in research and development to develop cleaner and more efficient engine technologies.