Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations in Europe reached a record level in May, with fully electric cars accounting for 23.6% of all new vehicle registrations across 17 European markets.

According to data released by New AutoMotive and E-Mobility Europe, 212,387 battery electric vehicles were registered during the month, up 34.4% from May 2025. The figures represent the highest monthly market share recorded for BEVs in Europe.

The increase continued a trend seen since the start of the year. Between January and May, battery electric vehicle registrations totalled 962,010 units, a rise of 31.8% compared with the same period last year.

One of the highest rates of adoption of Battery Electric Vehicles among leading European countries was in France, where the share of electric cars amounted to 29.5% of total new car sales in May. Almost 60,000 battery-electric cars were registered in Germany in May, accounting for 25% of total sales and 41% YoY growth.

Italy recorded the fastest growth among Europe's larger automotive markets. Electric vehicle registrations in the country more than doubled during the first five months of the year following the introduction of incentive measures. Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands also reported increases in electric vehicle registrations over the same period.

The most recent figures show that there is a trend in the European car industry in which there has been an increase in the sales of electric cars, while there has been a decrease in sales of both petrol and diesel cars.

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. There have been some efforts by various European governments to lower emissions from road transportation, among other policies.

Industry data show that growth in battery electric vehicle registrations exceeded that of the wider automotive market in May. While overall vehicle sales increased at a slower pace, demand for fully electric vehicles continued to rise across several countries.

Automakers have also expanded the number of electric vehicle models available in recent years, increasing competition across different price segments of the market.

The May figures indicate that battery electric vehicles continue to account for a growing share of new vehicle registrations across Europe, with demand increasing in both established and emerging electric vehicle markets.