The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said that in February, the number of passenger car registrations increased again (for the 7th month in a row) - by 11.5% compared to the same period in 2022, to 802,763 units, after an increase of 11.3% per annum in January. However, it is important to note the low base of comparison due to the semiconductor shortage crisis at the beginning of 2022.
Most markets reported strong growth in the number of passenger car registrations, with the largest increases recorded in Spain (+19.2% per annum) and Italy (+17.4% per annum).
The data also showed that from the beginning of 2023 (to February), the number of passenger car registrations in the EU amounted to 1.6 million units, which is 11.4% more than in the previous year. As for the four main EU markets, the largest growth was recorded in Spain (+32.1%) and Italy (+18.2%), followed by France (+9.1%). Meanwhile, car registration in Germany remained almost unchanged (+0.2%).
In February, there was a rise in the number of battery electric and hybrid cars registered in the EU, now representing 12.1% and 25.5% of the market respectively. However, petrol remained the top choice for newly-registered cars in the EU, with a market share of 36.9%.