Automotive registrations in Europe recorded a small rebound in February after a dip in January, official industry figures show. Across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association, total new car registrations rose 1.7% year-on-year to 979,321 units for the month.
Electrified powertrains accounted for a substantial share of the market. Around two-thirds of vehicles registered in the reporting area were electrified - comprising battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and conventional hybrids.
Industry observers note regulatory shifts in the EU and Britain: governments are rolling back certain rules aimed at cutting CO2 emissions after lobbying from domestic manufacturers that cite profitability pressures on EV sales and competition from Chinese automakers. Despite that regulatory retrenchment, BEV and PHEV registrations kept rising, a trend the data attributes to the arrival of lower-cost models and national incentives that support EV adoption.
Environmental groups have highlighted another factor behind the increased share of electrified vehicles: some petrol models have been reclassified or repositioned by manufacturers as "mild hybrids," a move that may bolster statistics for electrified sales while delivering only modest reductions in emissions.
Brand-level shifts
Tesla ended a thirteen-month run of falling registrations with an 11.8% year-on-year increase in February, according to the industry data. The automaker’s February registrations remained slightly below those of BYD, whose monthly sales more than doubled compared with February 2025. Both Tesla and BYD held a 1.8% share of the market in the month.
Among prominent European manufacturers, Volkswagen’s registrations rose 2.2% in February, while Stellantis reported a 9.5% increase. Renault’s registrations fell 14.3% over the same period.
EU-level details
Within the EU specifically, total registrations increased 1.4% to 865,437 vehicles in February. Breakdowns by powertrain show BEV registrations up 20.6%, PHEVs up 32.1% and conventional hybrids up 10.1%. Collectively, those three categories represented 67% of the bloc’s registrations, up from 58.5% in February 2025.
The data illustrates a market still shifting toward electrified models even as regulatory and competitive dynamics evolve. The figures in this report reflect monthly registration activity and constitute a proxy for sales across the included markets.