The first quarter of 2026 saw plugin EVs take 33.0% share in France, up from 22.9% in Q1 2025. BEV share grew strongly year on year (YoY), while PHEV share was flat. Overall Q1 auto volume was 339,478 units, down some 2.5% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in Q1. 2026 Q1 auto sales saw combined plugin EVs take 33.0% share in France, with full electrics (BEVs) at 28.1% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) at 4.9%. These figures compare YoY against 22.9% combined, 18.2% BEVs and 4.8% PHEVs. In volume terms, BEVs were up 50% YoY to 112,086 units, whilst PHEVs were flat, at 19,584 units. Mild hybrids and some HEVs (now combined at 47% share) continue to replace combustion-only powertrains. Diesel-only are now down to 2.5% and petrol-only down to 14.6%. In the longue durée of the EV transition, mild hybrids and HEVs are only a stop gap on the way to almost entirely BEVs. Best-Selling BEV Models The best-selling BEV in Q1 2026 was the Tesla Model Y, with 10,670 units registered, ahead of its previous best Q1, back in 2023 (9,363 units). The Renault 5, last year’s overall leader, came a close second in Q1, with 10,084 units (up some 10% YoY). Another Renault, the Scenic, came third with 6,896 units.As usual, we unfortunately don’t have enough fine grained model sales data from the French market to detect new model debuts. We can observe that the most affordable BEVs, such as the Dacia Spring (18th), the new Renault Twingo (just outside the top 20), and the Leapmotor T03 (close to top 20), are all selling fairly well. Outlook 2026 is off to a decent start for BEVs, with 50% growth in sales YoY. Let’s see if this can be sustained. The French macroeconomy has cooled over the past quarter, from YoY GDP growth of 1.1% in 2025 Q4, down to 0.9% in 2026 Q1. Headline inflation doubled from the end of Q4 (0.8%) to the end of Q1 (1.7%). Interest rates at the end of Q1 were 2.25%, flat since June 2025. Manufacturing PMI has hovered around 50 points at the end of Q1, slightly down from 50.7 points at the end of Q4. What prospects does 2026 have for the EV transition in France? Please share your comments and thoughts in the discussion below.
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