Automotive. New car sales rose by 10% in September in the EU

In September 2025, new car registrations in the 27 EU countries jumped 10% to 888,672 units, marking the third consecutive month of growth. Over the first nine months, the total exceeded 8 million vehicles (up 0.9% year-on-year).

On the powertrain front, the trend is clear: conventional hybrids now account for 34.7% of cumulative sales (nearly 2.8 million units) and posted a 15.9% increase in September. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have reached 9% of the market with a meteoric rise of 31.1% over nine months, and even 65.4% for September alone.

Sales of all-electric vehicles are also on the rise: 1,300,188 units have been sold since January (a 16.1% market share), compared to 13.1% a year earlier. In September, the increase was 20%. However, ACEA emphasizes that this pace remains "below the level required for the energy transition."

Meanwhile, traditional engines saw a marked decline: petrol down 18.7% and diesel down 24.7% over nine months. Their combined market share fell to 37%, compared to 46.8% last year.

Renault is doing well, Tesla is losing ground

On the brand front, Renault Group is showing strong momentum: +14.4% in September, +6.6% over nine months, for an 11.4% market share. In contrast, Tesla saw its European sales decline by 18.6% in September and -38.7% over nine months (111,328 units, 1.4% market share).

The recovery is encouraging, but the market remains fragile: the very modest overall increase (+0.9% over nine months) reflects continued moderate demand. The rise of hybrids reflects a marked preference among buyers for "intermediate" powertrains, less radical than electric vehicles.

While electric vehicles are progressing, they are not yet keeping pace with the European objectives of ending sales of internal combustion and hybrid vehicles by 2035, according to ACEA, which is calling for a "pragmatic recalibration" of standards.