Europe: Plug-In Car Sales Decreased In November 2023 Because Of PHEVs

However, the growth of the all-electric segment was relatively weak as well.

In November, plug-in electric car sales in Europe decreased year-over-year for the first time in over a year (since July 2022), losing some of its market share.

The reason for the drop is related to the noticeable decline in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car sales, which was not offset by the relatively weak growth of battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales. Meanwhile, the general market expanded by 6% year-over-year.

According to EV Volumes data shared by researcher Jose Pontes, 273,872 new plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe in November, which is 2% less than a year ago. The market share amounted to 26% (compared to almost 28% a year ago).

All-electric car registrations improved by 5% year-over-year taking 17% of the market (almost like a year ago), while plug-in hybrids were down by 15% year-over-year.

Plug-in car registrations for the month (YOY change):

• BEVs: about *183,500 (up 5%) and 17% market share
• PHEVs: about *90,000 (down 15%) and 9% market share
• Total: 273,872 (down 2%) and 26% market share

* Estimated from the market share

Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Europe – November 2023

During the first 11 months of the year, over 2.7 million passenger plug-in electric cars have been registered in Europe, which is about 23% of the total market.

Plug-in car registrations January-November (YOY change):

• BEVs: about *1.83 million and 15% market share
• PHEVs: about *0.91 million and 8% market share
• Total: 2,721,944 (up 24%) and 23% market share

* Estimated from the market share

For reference, in 2022, more than 2.6 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe (about 23% of the total volume).

It's hard to believe that December will bring us any significant progress and it seems that Europe will end with the same plug-in market share as in 2022 (but at a higher volume, in line with the expansion of the general market).

Top Plug-In Models

The Tesla Model Y remains Europe's best-selling plug-in model for the 13th month in a row with 18,211 new registrations in November. An interesting thing is that the volume of deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 Highland from China (17,524 registrations) enabled Tesla to secure the first two spots, with a big advantage over other models.

Next, we can see outstanding results of the Skoda Enyaq iV (8,889) and Audi Q4 e-tron (7,118)—both of them are direct cousins of the Volkswagen ID.4 and both significantly outsold the ID.4 during the month.

Results for the month:

1. Tesla Model Y - 18,211
2. Tesla Model 3 - 17,524
3. Skoda Enyaq iV - 8,889
4. Audi Q4 e-tron - 7,118
5. MG 4 - 6,413
6. BMW i4 - 6,055
7. Volvo XC40 - 5,613 (5,139 BEVs + 474 PHEVs) 
8. BMW iX1 - 5,538
9. Volkswagen ID.4 - 5,419
10. Dacia Spring - 5,253

After the first 11 months of 2023, the Tesla Model Y is out of reach for any other plug-in and will be the best-selling car in Europe overall, it seems.

The Tesla Model 3 probably will be the best of the rest, ahead of the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV.

Results in January-November:

1. Tesla Model Y - 230,008
2. Tesla Model 3 - 88,162
3. Volkswagen ID.4 - 75,408
4. Skoda Enyaq iV - 70,358
5. Volvo XC40 - 68,837 (46,467 BEVs + 22,370 PHEVs) 
6. Audi Q4 e-tron - 64,010
7. MG 4 - 63,232
8. Volkswagen ID.3 - 58,876
9. Fiat 500 electric - 58,182
10. Dacia Spring - 54,266

Top Brands And Automotive Groups

Through the end of November, Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen brands noted the highest number of new plug-in car registrations (yes, BMW continues to be ahead of Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz is close behind).

In terms of automotive groups, the Volkswagen Group with over 21% share is far ahead of Stellantis (13.7%) and Tesla (12%).

Top brands by share in the plug-in segment in January-November:

• Tesla - 12.0%
• BMW - 8.5%
• Volkswagen - 8.2%
• Mercedes-Benz - 7.8%
• Audi - 5.8%
• Volvo - 5.6%

Top automotive groups by share in the plug-in segment in January-November:

• Volkswagen Group - 21.2% share (Volkswagen brand at 8.2%)
• Stellantis - 13.7%
• Tesla - 12.0%
• BMW Group - 10.1% share (BMW brand at 8.5%)
• Hyundai Motor Group - 8.4%
• Mercedes-Benz Group - 8.4% (Mercedes-Benz brand at 7.8%)