Affordable Models Help Drive Europe’s EV Sales Growth

Electric-vehicle sales are rising rapidly across Europe, with lower-priced models helping attract buyers, according to reports covering EU sales through August and European registrations during the month. The figures point to strong demand, although their different geographic and vehicle definitions mean they are not directly comparable. Transport & Environment, an advocacy group, reported that 1.64 million electric cars were sold in the European Union from January through August 2026, a 45% increase from the same period a year earlier. Electric cars accounted for about 22% of new-car sales over those eight months, the group said. It also reported that the range of available electric models had expanded by 50% from a year earlier. A separate account of August registrations across Europe put fully electric vehicle registrations at about 250,000, up 51% year over year, and said battery-electric vehicles represented 30% of sales that month. It gave the year-to-date battery-electric share as 24%. Because the reports cover different periods and geographic or vehicle categories, those market-share figures should not be read as competing estimates of the same measure.