Europe’s new passenger car market experienced a slight increase in February 2026 with generally stabilising performance. According to JATO Dynamics’ data, a total of 978,190 units were registered across Europe-28*, up 1.7% year-on-year. Germany remains by far the largest market with 229K registrations, Italy second (174K), France third (151K units), and Great Britain fourth (105K units).
Growth has been off the back of a strong push to electrification across European markets. BEVs increased volumes by +16% YoY, reaching a 19.4% mix (+2.3p), confirming that full-electric vehicles remain the main driver of market growth.
PHEVs recorded the strongest expansion, up +34% YoY and now account for 9.9% of the market, supported by new launches and broader availability across multiple brands. MHEVs also expanded steadily (+12%), reaching a 25.5% share, while HEVs grew at a slower pace (+8%), maintaining a share just under 14%.
Analysing BEV performance, Skoda (+112%), Ford (+97%), and Toyota (+97%) posted remarkable gains, driven by strong launches like the Skoda Elroq and Ford Explorer EV.
Steffen Michulski, Senior Consultant at JATO Dynamics, said: “Electrification is clearly happening. But interestingly, car manufacturers’ performance is varying a lot between different electrified powertrain types, as they navigate through the business environment of electrification transition.”
Although ICE still holds the single largest share in Germany and Poland, these powertrains continue their steep decline, dropping -20% YoY and now representing 29.9% of the total European market (7.9p), bringing them closer to MHEVs than ever before. The market trajectory points clearly toward reduced reliance on traditional combustion technology as electrified alternatives further consolidate their position.
Looking across the top ten EU groups, the common pattern is clear: markets with historically strong incentive structures and charging ecosystems (e.g., the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Great Britain) are accelerating their transition to electrified technologies, while Southern and Eastern European markets are progressing more gradually, still relying more heavily on combustion-based powertrains.
Despite recent concessions on the total phasing out of ICE engines, the shift to electric is gaining momentum. In Germany BEVs and MHEVs together accounted for nearly half of the total 229K of units sold and in France, of the 151K units registered, 36K were BEVs.
Although Volkswagen topped the charts when it came to being the most-registered car makes in February 2026, the manufacturer has seen total declines amongst the top 10 most-registered BEV models, with ID.7 (-24%), ID.4 (-15%) and ID.3 (-11%) respectively. China still holds all the cards with Leapmotor T03 surging ahead with an increase of 677% compared to the same period in 2025.
Overall, February’s results underline two clear trends: European brands are increasingly polarised between winners driven by new EV products and those undergoing difficult transitions, while Chinese manufacturers continue to rapidly expand both their presence and influence in the BEV segment.
For full rankings and detailed analysis, please contact us.
Contact:
Mark Talmage-Rostron, Content Lead, mark.talmagerostron@jato.com
Steffen Michulski, Senior Consultant Advisory, steffen.michulski@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.
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