Photo: EPA
Battery-electric vehicle sales in the European Union rose 45% year on year to 1.64 million units between January and August 2026, according to a report by Transport & Environment (T&E). Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 22% of new-car sales during the period, up six percentage points from a year earlier.
T&E said the growing availability of more affordable electric models is helping drive the increase. Five of the 20 best-selling electric cars in Europe now have versions starting below €30,000 in at least one market, based on German prices before incentives. The choice of electric models has expanded by 50% compared with a year earlier.
The organization attributed the expansion partly to tighter EU CO₂ requirements, which are encouraging automakers to introduce a wider range of electric vehicles and compete across lower price segments. Nearly 40 new electric models were launched in Europe during the first half of 2026, bringing the number of mass-market battery-electric models available to more than 150. About 60 additional models are expected by the end of the year.
T&E expects 16 electric models with starting prices below €25,000 to be available by the end of 2026, twice as many as a year earlier. Sales of electric models starting below €25,000 are forecast to be seven times higher in 2026 than in 2024.
Higher fuel prices are also supporting demand for electric vehicles. T&E said the oil-price shock linked to the conflict in the Middle East has increased the cost of running combustion-engine vehicles, strengthening the financial incentive for some drivers to switch to electric cars.
The report comes as European automakers expand their electric line-ups to meet the EU's 2025–2027 CO₂ targets. T&E warned that weakening the EU's 2030 targets could slow the introduction of affordable electric models and reduce consumer choice.
Electric vehicles also surpassed pure petrol cars in sales across the EU for the first time over a full quarter in the second quarter of 2026, reaching a 22% share of the market.
