Europe’s new passenger car market grew in April. According to JATO Dynamics data, registrations reached 1.15 million units, up +6.8% YoY versus April 2025. Growth remains firmly driven by electrified powertrains, reinforcing that the market’s recovery is being shaped by structural shifts rather than cyclical demands.
BEVs further strengthened their position as the primary growth engine, expanding sharply by +38% YoY to 254K units, increasing their market share to 22.2% (vs ~17.2% last year). Growth is broad-based across both legacy OEMs (Volkswagen Group, BMW, Renault, Mercedes) and Chinese manufacturers, with several new high-volume entries such as the Skoda Elroq and Renault 5 scaling rapidly.
Pure combustion registrations continued to decline sharply, -16.6% YoY, confirming ongoing structural contraction across all major markets.
PHEVs also outperform the overall market, rising +22% YoY to 119K units, supported by continued fleet demand, tax advantages and strong participation from premium and Chinese brands.
Meanwhile, HEVs post solid growth of +14%, maintaining relevance particularly in markets where full electrification remains slower.
MHEVs continue to act as a stabilising bridge technology, growing +11% YoY to 271K units and remaining the largest electrified segment by volume. They play a critical role in Southern and Eastern Europe, compensating for the accelerating decline of pure ICE vehicles.
Analysing BEV performance, results varied significantly across OEMs. Mercedes (+78%), BYD (+75%), and Renault (+64%) recorded strong growth, highlighting increasing momentum among both legacy and challenger brands. In contrast, Audi grew more modestly (+9%), while Volkswagen remained broadly stable (-1%), underperforming faster-growing competitors.
Steffen Michulski, Regional Consultant Europe at JATO Dynamics, said: “Growth in Europe’s car market is now being driven almost entirely by electrified vehicles, while demand for combustion engines continues to decline. This is creating a clear divide, with brands that can scale competitive electric models gaining share, and those still reliant on ICE steadily falling behind.”
On a brand level, Volkswagen Group remains the largest player overall (119.8K units), though slightly declining YoY (-0.7%), reflecting continued combustion pressure despite strong BEV contributions from VW, Skoda and Audi. Skoda stands out as a key growth driver within the group (+10.7% YoY), fuelled by the success of the Elroq and Enyaq, both among the top BEVs in Europe.
Mercedes-Benz is one of the strongest performers among large premium OEMs (+8.0% YoY), driven by BEVs (notably CLA) and strong SUV performance, although some EQ models still show uneven results.
Overall, April’s results underline two clear trends: Brand performance highlights strong polarisation between electrification leaders and combustion-exposed OEMs, with growth concentrated among players scaling BEVs or offering competitive multi-powertrain portfolios.
For full rankings, detailed analysis or media enquiries please contact Laura Cameron, laura.cameron@jato.com
Notes to Editors
*Europe-28: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, UK.
About JATO
Founded in 1984, JATO Dynamics is the world’s leading provider of automotive market intelligence. Operating across more than 50 markets worldwide, JATO delivers accurate data and insights on vehicle specifications, pricing, sales and registrations, powering data-driven decisions across the global automotive industry.
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