Image: KiaApril thus continued the strong momentum from March, even if growth slowed slightly. In the previous month, ACEA reported 234,532 new battery-electric passenger car registrations in the EU, marking an increase of 48.9 per cent. The overall market also grew more strongly in March, when registrations across all drive types rose by 12.5 per cent, compared to 5.1 per cent in April.In April, battery-electric passenger cars remained the fastest-growing drive type in the EU, with a 37.7 per cent increase. Plug-in hybrids grew by 16.4 per cent, with 95,565 units registered. Hybrids (full and mild hybrids) achieved 359,056 new registrations (+12 %). In contrast, petrol and diesel vehicles continued to decline: petrol cars saw a 16.3 per cent drop (218,485 new registrations), while diesel cars fell by 17.1 per cent (73,982 new registrations).Germany remained the largest single market for electric cars in April. Here, 64,350 BEVs were newly registered, a 41.3 per cent increase compared to the same month last year. France recorded 36,216 electric cars and a 41.8 per cent rise. Italy saw even more impressive growth, with 13,199 BEV registrations—a 98.8 per cent increase. Spain achieved 9,723 electric cars and a 42.8 per cent rise.Smaller yet significant electric mobility markets also showed strong developments. Denmark reached 13,721 BEV registrations in April, a 43.5 per cent increase. In neighbouring Sweden, electric cars accounted for a market share of 81.9 per cent last month. In the Netherlands, growth was significantly weaker at 4.9 per cent, with 9,616 units registered. Belgium recorded 13,971 electric cars and a 12 per cent increase. Image: ACEAIn the first four months of the year, registrations of battery-electric passenger cars in the EU climbed by 33.8 per cent year-on-year to 746,899 units. Their market share increased from 15.3 to 19.7 per cent. Over the same period, the overall EU passenger car market grew by 4.2 per cent to 3,794,280 new registrations.Hybrids remained the largest drive category in ACEA’s statistics. Between January and April, registrations of hybrid passenger cars in the EU increased by 12.6 per cent to 1,447,864 units, giving them a market share of 38.2 per cent. Plug-in hybrids reached 364,067 new registrations over the same period, up 26 per cent year-on-year, while their market share grew from 7.9 to 9.6 per cent.However, ACEA does not differentiate hybrids by their level of electrification. The figures therefore include both full hybrids and mild hybrids. As a result, the category also covers vehicles that use a small electric motor only as a starting aid or for turbocharging and cannot drive purely on electric power. For customers, these vehicles function like conventional combustion-engine cars, despite being officially classified as hybrids. The decline in combustion-engine vehicles is therefore partly offset by hybrids with limited climate benefits.Pure combustion engine vehicles continued to decline significantly in the year to date. Petrol cars recorded 854,843 new registrations in the first four months, 17.7 per cent fewer than a year earlier. Their market share fell from 28.5 to 22.5 per cent. Diesel cars dropped by 16.1 per cent to 292,637 units, achieving a market share of just 7.7 per cent. Together, petrol and diesel cars now account for 30.2 per cent of the EU market, down from 38.1 per cent a year ago.In the four-month review, Germany remained the largest electric car market in the EU. From January to April, 223,980 battery-electric passenger cars were newly registered here, a 41.3 per cent increase. France recorded 148,299 units, a 48.2 per cent rise. Italy grew by 73.1 per cent to 51,286 electric cars, while Belgium saw only a 1.1 per cent increase to 53,440 units. According to ACEA, the four largest EU markets together accounted for 64 per cent of all new battery-electric passenger cars.In the manufacturer statistics, ACEA traditionally does not break down by drive type. Therefore, only Tesla, as a pure BEV manufacturer, can be assessed, as all other listed manufacturers also offer hybrids and/or plug-in hybrids. The brand achieved 9,169 new registrations in the EU in April, a 67.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year. From January to April, it recorded 67,389 vehicles, a 61.7 per cent rise.acea.auto, acea.auto (PDF)