October 25, 2026
| September 2026 | Battery-electric share | A year earlier | All registrations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | 29.9% | 18.9% | 971,048 | +9.3% |
| Germany | 34.5% | 19.3% | 256,774 | +9.0% |
| France | 41.7% | 22.4% | 156,629 | +11.6% |
| Italy | 7.6% | 5.7% | 139,166 | +9.8% |
| Spain | 18.5% | 11.9% | 93,858 | +10.2% |
| Poland | 6.2% | 8.9% | 56,354 | +13.0% |
| Netherlands | 52.8% | 37.5% | 36,259 | +12.6% |
Source: European car registrations for September 2026, published October 22, 2026 by the carmakers’ association linked below; shares calculated from its registration counts.
Two Europes, drawn by subsidies
Europe bought electric cars at two speeds in September. Battery-electric models took 29.9% of the EU’s new-car registrations, according to ACEA’s September release, but that average sits between France, where the share was above 40%, and Italy, the EU’s third-largest market that month, where it was under 8%.
In ACEA’s words, demand for electrified cars was “supported by buyer support measures and a broader model offering,” and its country table shows where that support was paid. Germany and France, both paying buyers under 2026 schemes, added 76,908 battery-electric registrations over September 2025, almost two-thirds of the EU’s increase.
Germany and France paid, and buyers came
Germany’s environment ministry announced a purchase subsidy in January worth €3,000 on a battery-electric car. Lower-income families can get up to €6,000, and the scheme counts any eligible car registered since January 1, 2026. German battery-electric registrations nearly doubled in September, up 94.7%, while petrol cars fell 29.2%.
France reopened its social leasing scheme on July 16. Leases are capped at €200 a month and aimed at at least 50,000 lower-income households. French battery-electric registrations more than doubled in September, and petrol registrations fell by almost two-fifths.
Spain’s turn came in August, when its Auto+ purchase grants, a €350 million programme, opened their first call. Spain’s battery-electric share in September was well above the 11.0% it averaged over the first nine months of the year.
Italy and Poland bought hybrids
Italy registered 70,188 hybrids in September, half its market, against 10,552 battery-electric cars. Italian buyers wanted a subsidy when one was offered: the national electric-car bonus, €595 million from EU recovery funds, was booked out about a day after it opened in October 2025. The environment ministry counted more than 55,600 voucher requests.
Poland bought the same way: hybrids took almost half its September market, and its battery-electric share fell from a year earlier even as registrations grew.
The crossing held in a full-size month
Petrol and diesel cars together trailed battery-electric cars for a second straight month, 219,121 registrations against 290,117. August’s crossing came in the year’s smallest month, when the EU registered 708,211 cars; September’s market was more than a third larger, so the lead now holds in a normal month too.
BYD, SAIC Motor, Chery and Leapmotor took 8.5% of EU registrations in September against 4.6% a year earlier, a rise GCBC has followed through hybrids the EU’s tariffs skip and in Britain and Germany. ACEA counts Geely, owner of Volvo and Polestar, as a separate group outside that figure.
What to watch
ACEA publishes October registrations on November 24. Spain’s Auto+ takes applications until December 31, which makes Spain the cleanest test of the subsidy reading for the rest of the year. If its share holds near September’s level while the money is open, and Italy stays below 10% with hybrids at half its market, the EU’s electric average will keep describing a country that does not exist.
