Registrations of new battery electric vehicles surged across Europe in May, and while some countries are showing slower passenger car growth overall, the same cannot be said for EVs.
Norway continues to lead the way in terms of overall market share, with BEVs accounting for 97.8 per cent of all new registrations in May, up from 93.9 per cent in May 2025, helping to maintain BEV market share at a phenomenal 98 per cent through the first five months of the year, up from 92.7 per cent a year earlier.
Sweden saw its share of EVs increase to 41 per cent of all new registrations, up 13 per cent over May 2025, and confirming its year to date (YTD) figure also to 41 per cent.
In Finland, EVs accounted for 47.7 per cent of new registrations YTD, up from 34.3 per cent in 2025, while in Switzerland the YTD market share for BEVs hit 23.3 per cent, up 15.5 per cent compared to the same period a year ago.
France saw EVs account for a 29 per cent market share in a market with 128,484 total new car registrations, up from the 16 per cent recorded in May 2025. BEVs have also taken home a 28 per cent market share YTD, compared to only 20 per cent a year ago.
EVs in the Netherlands accounted for a 41.3 per cent market share in May, up 7.2 per cent from May 2025, while in Belgium EVs accounted for 37.3 per cent of the market, up from 33.3 per cent in May 2025.
According to Mobility Denmark, EVs accounted for 78.7 per cent of all car sales in May. Importantly, when looking at private car sales, the “electric” share skyrockets to 95.8 per cent.
Spain combines its registration numbers for “electric passenger cars”, which together accounted for 23.1 per cent of the market, up 18 per cent over May 2025. YTD plug-in registrations also increased to a 21.4 per cent market share, up more than 6 per cent.
Similarly, Italy combines its EV and PHEV numbers, but they accounted for a 19 per cent market share with registrations up 76.4 per cent, up from only an 11.6 per cent market share in May 2025. Through the first five months of 2026, plug-in registrations increased by 80.3 per cent, taking a 16.6 per cent market share, up 6.6 percentage points compared to the first five months of 2025.
Portugal is about the only European market currently available to see a mixed showing, with the number of EVs registered in May increasing by 37 per cent to take a market share of 24.5 per cent, though with 84 per cent more cars sold overall compared to May 2025, that meant that market share dropped from 32 per cent.
Year to date, BEVs have accounted for 24.5 per cent of all newly registered passenger vehicles in Portugal, though EV registrations over the same period have fallen by 25 per cent.
Not every country’s automotive association publishes the same type of information, but for those that included data for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the story was mixed. In Sweden, PHEVs saw their market share drop to 24.5 per cent YTD, down 7 per cent.
PHEVs in Switzerland through the first five months of 2026 were up 20.1 per cent for a total market share of 20.1 per cent. In the Netherlands, PHEVs accounted for roughly half of all new registrations. Meanwhile in France, PHEV registrations fell to a market share of only 6 per cent in May 2026, compared to 7 per cent in May 2025.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
