Hybrids overtake diesel in EU car market

Hybrid electric vehicles accounted for around a fifth of total EU passenger car sales during the third quarter, beating diesel's market share to become the second most popular option in the bloc for the first time.

Hybrids took a 20.7pc share of new car registrations in July-September, with sales rising by 31.5pc on the year to around 450,000 units, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids also grew their share of the EU market, thanks to year-on-year growth in sales of 56.7pc and 42.6pc, respectively. Sales of both types rose strongly in the EU's four biggest markets — Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Italy saw the biggest rise, with BEV sales up by 122pc on the year and plug-in hybrid registrations 130.6pc higher.

Conventional diesel and gasoline-powered cars lost ground on the back of the strong rise in demand for electrically-chargeable vehicles. Diesel registrations more than halved on the year to just over 380,000 in the third quarter, wiping over 10 percentage points off market share to just 17.6pc. Gasoline cars held onto the number one spot with more than 855,000 new registrations, but their share of the market also dropped, from 47.6pc in the third quarter last year to 39.5pc in July-September this year.

By Dafydd ab Iago