2025 (March & Q1): Battery-electric vehicle sales in Europe increased with Tesla, Volkswagen, and BMW the top-selling all-electric car brands, and the Model Y the best-selling electric car model.
In March 2025, the European new car market, including the European Union, UK, and EFTA, expanded by 3.2% to 1,423,340 new passenger vehicle registrations. In contrast, electric car sales increased by 23% and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales were up by a fifth. During the first quarter of 2025, the European new car market was flat with only 628 more cars sold than during 2024 (Q1) but electric car sales increased by 28%, or 124,000 BEVs, for a 17% market share.
Latest European Car Market Statistics: 2025: January, February, March, (Q1); 2024 (Full Year): Market, By Country, Electric, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models; 2023-2007.
Electric Car Sales in Europe in 2025 (March & Q1)
In March 2025, new battery-electric passenger vehicle registration in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by 23% to 240,891 cars. According to JATO Dynamics data for 28 markets, this marked the second-highest result on record for electric cars behind only December 2022 when registrations reached 275,108 units. BEVs accounted for 16.9% of total registrations, marking a 2.7 percentage point increase in market share compared to March 2024.
In 2025 (Q1), new battery-electric car sales in Europe increased by 28% to 570,943 all-electric cars — the strongest quarter for BEVs on record. All-electric cars had a market share of 17% for the quarter — a 3.7 point increase from a year ago.
Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “March was a momentous month for BEV registrations in Europe, indicating that the positive response we are seeing to the continually broadening offer is finally having a real impact on the overall market.”
→ See also 2025 (Q1) Europe: Car Sales per European Country for car sales and electric car sales per European country — Britain surpassed Germany as the largest country market for all-electric car sales.
Europe: Best-Selling Electric Car Brands in 2025 (March & Q1)
The 25 best-selling all-electric car brands in Europe in March 2025 and the first quarter of 2025 according to JATO were:
Despite the momentum behind BEV uptake in Europe, Tesla – the world’s largest BEV maker by sales volume in 2024 – recorded a 30% drop in registrations in Europe in March 2025. This was the most significant decline among the 30 most registered brands, surpassed only by Mitsubishi in 33rd position (-43%), Lancia in 41st position (-73%), Jaguar (-82%), Smart (-65%), Maserati (-39%) and Abarth (-75%).
Despite the negative trend, the 30% decline in Tesla sales in Europe in March 2025, this drop was less severe than those recorded in January (-47%) and February (-44%) or 38% for Q1. “As the brand continues to deal with a host of PR issues in addition to the changeover of the Model Y, Tesla is now relying on the Model 3 to offset the loses”, Munoz added.
In contrast to Tesla, Volkswagen brand increased sales during the first quarter of 2025 in Europe by 157% to be the leading electric car brand. BMW was third with sales up a fifth while Audi increased sales by 50%.
Renault staged a strong recovery in electric car sales with an increase of 89%, as did Skoda with sales up by 93% and Kia with sales up 59%. Mercedes and Peugeot lost electric car market share, while Volvo electric car sales were down by nearly a third.
Top-Selling Electric Car Sales by Model in Europe in 2025 (March and Q1)
The best-selling battery electric car sales by model in Europe during the first quarter and March 2025 according to JATO were:
The Tesla Model Y remained Europe’s favorite all-electric car despite a 49% contraction in sales during the first quarter of 2025. Model Y sales were down 43% in March. The midsize Model 3 sedan was the second most popular electric car model with sales down 14% for the first quarter but increasing 1.1% to reach 12,500 units in March 2025.
“Despite the controversy surrounding the brand’s CEO and the limited availability of the new Model Y, Tesla continues to perform well as the most popular EV brand in Europe. Its success, amid these challenges, provides an indication of what European consumers are looking for in an EV”, according to JATO’s Munoz.
Sales of the Volkswagen ID 4 more than doubled during the first quarter of 2025, while the new VW ID7 also sold well. The Kia EV3 was the fifth most popular BEV in Europe at the start of 2025.
Europe Car Sales Statistics
→ Latest European Car Sales Statistics
- 2025 Market Analysis: January, February, March
- 2025 (Q1): Car Sales by Country, Best-Selling Brands, Electric Cars
- 2025 (Outlook) Europe: Car and Electric Car Sales Forecasts
- 2024 (Full Year): Market Analysis, Car Sales by Country, Electric Sales by Country, Best-Selling Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models
- 2024: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
- Full-Year 2023: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Car Models
