Sales of fully electric cars across the European Union rose by almost 50 percent in March compared to the same month last year, reported the European automotive industry association (ACEA). The Netherlands, however, bucked the trend, with sales dropping by 0.4 percent.
Trends
In the EU as a whole, nearly 235,000 fully electric cars were sold in March. Partially electric cars also gained traction, with plug‑in hybrid sales up 28.2 percent and hybrid‑electric cars up 20.1 percent. In the Netherlands, plug‑in hybrid sales rose in line with the EU standards but, even hybrid electric vehicles saw only on a meagre demand.
At the same time, combustion‑engine vehicles lost ground. Across the EU, petrol‑car sales dropped 9.4 percent, while diesel‑car sales fell 12.3 percent. In the Netherlands, petrol‑car sales plunged by more than 39 percent and diesel cars to 4.5 percent.
Chinese manufacturer BYD saw the strongest growth, with sales soaring 155.2 percent in the EU compared with March 2025. Tesla’s sales doubled while Alfa Romeo, Porsche, and Ford posted some of the largest declines, each down around 14–17 percent.
Incentives
ACEA attributes the boom in electric‑car sales partly to generous tax incentives in many European countries, which make electric vehicles more attractive to buyers. The association also notes that March was the first full month since the war in the Middle East intensified, a period that triggered sharp rises in fuel prices and further encouraged consumers to switch to electric and hybrid models.
@anp | NEWSBRAINPORT
