Sales of electric cars set a new market share record in the European Union in 2022, although their growth has slowed slightly, according to figures released by manufacturers on Wednesday. Battery-powered cars accounted for 12.1% of new car sales over the year, compared to 9.1% in 2021, or 1.9% in 2019, the Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
German market drives sales
In an automotive market that is struggling to recover since Covid-19 and remains hampered by logistical problems, sales of electric cars stand out: they increased by 28%, compared to 2021, to more than 1.1 million vehicles. These sales were notably driven by the German market, where they accelerated at the end of the year before a drop in purchase bonuses.
Electric cars have also been very successful in Sweden and Belgium, while the Italian market was the only one to put a brake on this engine in 2022 (-26.9%). Non-rechargeable hybrids (diesel or gasoline) also continue to conquer the market (+8.6%) and now represent 22.6% of sales, with 2,089,653 cars sold. Sales of plug-in hybrids, these vehicles equipped with a combustion engine and a small rechargeable electric motor on a socket or terminal, marked time for the first time, with 874,182 vehicles sold (+ 1.2%) .
Diesel suffering
In total, electrified cars (hybrid and 100% electric) have exceeded gasoline car sales since the end of 2021: these represented 36.4% of sales in 2022 (-12.8%, with nearly 3.3 million vehicles sold). While the European Commission aims to ban sales of thermal engine cars by 2035, most manufacturers have beefed up their offer, and their sales, of electric and hybrid cars, even if their prices remain high.
Diesel, affected by the dieselgate scandal, heavy penalties and a shrinking offer in the manufacturers’ ranges, continues on its downward slope (-19.7%), with 1.5 million vehicles sold. The drop in diesel is particularly marked in France and Belgium.