Electric cars overtake petrol in Europe's market share for first time

Battery-electric cars took 22.7% of the European car market in the first nine months of 2026, up from earlier in the year. Petrol cars fell to 21.1% over the same period. It is the first time electric cars have passed petrol in the region's market share.

Three months of acceleration: July, August, September

The monthly figures in the source show the momentum building through the third quarter. In July, electric car sales rose 13.6% to 224,266 units, lifting their market share to 25.7%. Sales of combustion-engine cars fell 9% in the same month, and their share dropped to 29%.

In August, electric sales jumped 54.2% to 202,833 units, and their market share reached a record 30.5%. September was stronger still, with sales up 70.3% to 300,202 units and a share of 32.6%.

The source says the shift to electric has been under way for a long time, but the sharp rise over the past three months was driven by fuel prices, which spiked during the US-Iran war.

Electric sales by fuel type over the first nine months

Electric car sales rose 48.5% to 1,931,000 units in the first nine months of the year. Petrol car sales fell 19.1% to 1.8 million units. Diesel sales dropped 19.5%, and diesel's share fell to 7.1%.

Hybrids and mild hybrids reached a 36.3% share, with 3,090,000 units sold. Plug-in hybrids sold 860,000 units, giving them a 10.1% share.

Turkey tells a different story

In Turkey, 120,329 electric cars were sold in the first nine months of 2026, giving electric vehicles a 19.3% share. Petrol cars held 41.2%, hybrids 32.6%, and diesel 5.5%.

Key points:
- Electric share in Europe reached 22.7% in the first nine months, petrol 21.1%
- Electric sales in September rose 70.3% to 300,202 units
- In Turkey, electric share was 19.3% and petrol share 41.2%