Electric car sales in Europe rise 70.3% in September

Battery electric car sales in Europe rose 70.3% year on year in September, reaching 300,202 units. Their share of the total market climbed to 32.6%. The data was published on Monday by E-Mobility Europe, New Automotive and Fier Automotive.

The sources cited high petrol prices, government incentives and the arrival of more affordably priced models as the main drivers of growth. The figures cover 17 major car markets in Europe. In those markets, roughly one in every three cars sold in September was fully electric. The growth coincided with an agreement between France and Germany to soften the EU's proposed vehicle emissions regulations.

For the first nine months of the year, battery electric car sales across Europe rose 38.1% from the same period last year, to 1.98 million.

Electric car share in France and Germany

France registered 65,243 battery electric cars in September. Fully electric cars accounted for 41.7% of total car sales in the country. In Germany, 88,724 electric cars were sold in the same month, giving a market share of 34.6%.

Norway and the Nordics lead

Scandinavia had the highest electric car share in the region. Norway ranked first with 98.8%, followed by Denmark at 88.8%, Finland at 62.7% and Sweden at 49%. In Ireland, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands, battery electric cars made up about half of all car sales.

The slowest transition was in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland. Battery electric cars held shares of 11.2%, 7.6% and 6.2% in those countries, respectively.