Electric car sales smash records as Europe sees 'explosive' growth in EV registrations

More than one million electric cars have been sold across Europe so far this year in a record-breaking spike in registrations of zero emission vehicles.

Fresh data shows that over 1.2 million new battery electric vehicles were registered across Europe between January and June, a huge jump compared to the 928,000 sold in H1 of 2025.

June broke sales records across the continent as 275,000 new EVs were registered, capturing 27.4 per cent of the EU-wide market share.

France registered almost 56,000 new electric cars last month, representing three in 10 new vehicle sales, while all-time high EV sales were seen in Slovenia and Czechia.

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The research, from New AutoMotive, Fier Automotive and E-Mobility Europe, reported that growth has been "particularly explosive" in Southern and Central Europe.

Italy is the continent's fastest-growing market for electric vehicles, with a staggering 97.9 per cent growth rate.

Impressive half-year growth rates have also been seen in the likes of France (61.3 per cent), Germany (48.6 per cent) and Spain (31 per cent).

Gurjeet Grewal, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: "These figures show the electric transition is moving from early adoption into the mainstream.

"As volumes rise across Europe, the benefits feed directly through to drivers in the form of better choice, more competitive pricing and stronger used vehicle markets. The countries seeing the fastest growth aren't succeeding by accident.

"They're creating the confidence that encourages consumers to make the switch, and that's exactly how you build a self-sustaining market."

European registrations are also growing at a faster rate than in China, with EV sales in June soaring by 39.5 per cent compared to the same time last year.

China achieved a massive 42.8 per cent electric vehicle market share in June, with it also being the first month that it exported more than one million vehicles.

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Despite this, some European nations are recording better proportional sales than China, most notably Norway, where EVs have a market share of 96.5 per cent.

Tesla remains the best-selling brand in Norway, with 3,222 registrations in June, although this is a massive 42.9 per cent drop in sales compared to last June.

Other nations are also transitioning to electric vehicles at a rapid rate, including Denmark (79.1 per cent), Ireland (51.2 per cent), Finland (48.9 per cent) and the Netherlands (43.5 per cent).

Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive, highlighted how Europe was now "setting the pace globally" in the shift away from petrol and diesel, and towards electric vehicles.

"Governments and industry now need to make sure the charging infrastructure and market conditions are in place to sustain this momentum through the rest of the year," he said.

This was emphasised by Chris Heron, CEO of E-Mobility Europe, who described sales totals in June as "rewriting the record books for the EU's EV market".

He added: "From Denmark to Spain, and from France to Czechia, countries across Europe are reaching new heights in electric vehicle adoption.

"Better policies, better EVs, and sustained concern over oil dependence are all converging. These results should give policymakers the confidence to finalise clear rules for securing the next phase of the transition."

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