European car market gains momentum as electric car sales rise nearly 73 per cent

Nearly one million new passenger cars were sold across the European Union in September, up 9.3 per cent from the same month last year.

The positive trend is also reflected in figures for the first nine months of the year. More than 8.5 million new passenger cars were sold in the European Union during that period, 5.7 per cent more than in the same period last year.

Electric car sales surge

The most notable change came in the electric car market. Sales rose by 72.9 per cent year on year in September, with electric cars accounting for close to 30 per cent of all new passenger cars sold.

Over the first nine months of the year, electric cars accounted for 22.7 per cent of new passenger car sales. Hybrids, including plug-in hybrids, accounted for 46.4 per cent over the same period.

The European Union’s largest car markets record growth

New passenger car sales rose in September in all four of the European Union’s largest car markets.

France recorded the strongest growth, with sales rising 11.6 per cent. New car sales increased by 10.2 per cent in Spain, 9.8 per cent in Italy and 9 per cent in Germany.

Estonian car sales rise more than 41 per cent

Among the Baltic states, Estonia stood out in September, with new passenger car sales rising 41.1 per cent year on year.

Growth in Lithuania was more modest, at 2.8 per cent.

Latvia’s car market, by contrast, declined for a second consecutive month. New passenger car sales there fell 9.5 per cent in September compared with the same month last year.

Both the European Union’s overall car market and Estonia’s new passenger car market therefore continued to grow in September, while electric car sales increased significantly faster than the car market as a whole.