Soaring fuel prices driving record numbers of Europeans to dump petrol and diesels for EVs but in the US sales are dropping
Sales of electric vehicles leapt by an incredible 51 per cent in in Europe in March, off the back of high fuel prices, the continued Iran conflict and fresh government incentives designed to supercharge EV uptake.
According to official figures for 15 key EU and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) markets, more than 224,000 electric cars were registered in March alone, with battery-powered vehicles accounting for 22 per cent of all new cars registered.
With now nearly one in four vehicles sold in Europe an EV, more than half a million EVs found homes across the region in the first quarter of 2026, a figure that is up 33.5 per cent year-on-year.
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Of all the markets, Germany demonstrated the strongest growth, with sales reaching a 42 per cent market share year-to-date, with incentives fuelling the rise as well as the price per litre of fuel.
In France, EVs accounted for a 28 per cent share of the market in March, while in Italy EV sales rocketed to 65 per cent of all cars delivered.
That last figure approaches the 76.6 per cent market share EVs enjoy in Denmark but is still a long way off the 98.4 per cent recorded in Norway.
Despite EV sales booming in Europe, volumes in the US actually dropped by 27 per cent compared to the same period last year, with 216,399 registrations in the first three months of this year, despite in some cases stratospheric rises at the fuel pump.
The drop-off has been attributed to the removal of the federal US$7500 tax credit.
