New EU car registrations rose by just under 5pc in August compared with the same month a year earlier, broadly in line with growth since the start of this year.
New EU car registrations increased by 4.5pc on the year to almost 710,000 units in August, while January-August registrations grew by 5.3pc from a year earlier to 7.5mn units, according to data from the European automobile manufacturers association Acea.
The five biggest countries for new car registrations all saw year-on-year rises of more than 2pc in August, with Spain and Poland leading with increases of 12pc and 8pc, respectively.
Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) remained strong, driven by market support measures and a broader model offering, Acea said.
But registration data suggest that EV adoption is largely displacing gasoline and diesel vehicle sales rather than driving significant growth in overall vehicle demand. Across the EU, EFTA and the UK, total new car registrations in January-August rose by 5.8pc from a year earlier, while battery EV registrations increased by 39pc and plug-in hybrid registrations rose by 22pc. Gasoline and diesel registrations fell by 18pc and 19pc, respectively, over the same period.
| New car registrations | ||
| Country | Aug 26 | ±% Aug 25 |
| EU | 708,211 | 4.5 |
| EU-EFTA-UK | 832,637 | 5.3 |
| Germany | 212,563 | 2.6 |
| France | 94,349 | 7.4 |
| Italy | 69,420 | 3.2 |
| Spain | 68,544 | 11.8 |
| Poland | 45,907 | 8.1 |
| — Acea | ||
