Sales of electric and hybrid cars in the EU almost tripled in 2020

Sales of electric and hybrid cars in the EU almost tripled in 2020

The future is electric, and the evidence is there to back it up. In 2020, sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the European reached over a million, which is three times more than in 2019.

In fact, electric and hybrid cars each accounted for more than 10% of overall sales in the EU, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Data from the Association shows that sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars increased from 387,808 in 2019 to a whopping 1.046 million vehicles in 2020.

Overall in 2020, hybrid electric vehicles made up 11.9% of total passenger car sales across the EU, up from 5.7% in 2019. Electrically-chargeable vehicles saw a similar surge in demand last year, accounting for 10.5% of all new car registrations in the European Union, compared to a 3.0% market share the year before.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, nearly one in six passenger cars registered in the European Union was an electrically-chargeable vehicle (16.5%).

Self-charging hybrids were also quite popular, surging by 59% to 1.182 million vehicles sold in 2020. Petrol and diesel vehicle sales actually both decreased by 37% and 32% respectively. However, petrol cars still remain the most popular choice, accounting for 48% of all sales in the EU.

The rise in popularity for electric vehicles proves that they’re becoming much more mainstream. Car manufacturers in the EU must now meet stringent carbon emissions targets and benefit from government subsidies for electric vehicles.

Stimulus packages introduced by governments to boost demand, following the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on car sales, sought to stimulate alternatively-powered vehicles in particular, are further driving demand for low and zero-emission cars.

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