According to the report from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), new passenger car registration rose sharply in December, offsetting the November decline and reaching a 6-month high. Meanwhile, for the whole of 2024, new car sales grew by less than 1%.
The data showed that passenger car registrations increased in December by 5.1% per annum, to 910,505 units (the highest value since June), after decreasing by 1.9% per annum in November.
ACEA reported that in December, two of the four major EU markets recorded an increase, with the strongest growth recorded in Spain (+28.8%). Passenger car registrations also increased in France (+1.5%), but fell in Germany (-7.1%) and Italy (-4.9%).
In 2024, new car registrations rose by 0.8% to around 10.6 million units. Spain continued to show resilience with a solid 7.1% growth rate. In contrast, declines were observed in France (-3.2%), Germany (-1%), and Italy (-0.5%). Battery-electric cars remained the third-most-popular choice for buyers in 2024 (their market share was 13.6% for the full year), again surpassing diesel (11.9%). Petrol cars retained their lead at 33.3%, while the market share of hybrid-electric cars reached 30.9%.