On Tuesday, 25 February, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) warned that the number of new car registrations in the EU had fallen 2.6% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. Battery electric vehicles represented 15% of the market share.
Representing almost 34.9% of the market, hybrid-electric vehicles have surged ahead and have once again become EU car buyers’ first choice. Conversely, the combined market share of diesel and petrol cars fell to 39.4% in January 2025, compared to 48.7% a year earlier.
“This is far from being on track with the mass-market adoption that is required”, ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries told the press. As a result, she has called for a quick-fix solution to address the costs of risking non-compliance with the 2025 CO2 targets for cars and vans. She mentioned two options: achieve a 90% reduction in emissions in 2025 and 95% in 2026 instead of 100% as of 2025 or introduce an average compliance mechanism for the 2025–2029 period (see EUROPE 13585/6). (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)