Not long ago, the market for battery-electric cars in Europe seemed to be all about Tesla, but April sales figures this year looked very different, with Skoda’s new Elroq compact electric SUV the clear winner, followed by three other models from Skoda’s parent, Volkswagen Group: the VW ID3 compact, ID7 midsize sedan/station wagon and ID4 compact SUV.
The Elroq, built on the same VW Group MEB platform as the three VW brand models, had sales of 8,070 for the month, according to preliminary figures from market researcher Dataforce.
It was followed by the ID3 at 6,937, the ID7 at 6,783 and the ID4 at 6,300. The ID7 was largely new to the market last year. VW has put in place aggressive discounts for its ID models.
The four VW Group cars were followed by two more new models, the Renault 5 E-Tech small car in fifth place, with 5,715 sales, and the Kia EV3 compact SUV with 5,614 sales.
The Tesla Model Y, Europe’s bestselling BEV in 2024, fell to 9 in April, with sales down 51 percent. An upgraded model is expected to reach car buyers this spring.
BYD is climbing up the ranking and could pass Tesla in sales of battery-electric cars. Out of BYD’s 12,558 sales in April, 7,254 were BEVs and 5,300 were PHEVs. Tesla, which sells only BEVs, sold 7,906 cars in April, according to Dataforce.
Other notable electric newcomers included the Audi Q6 E-tron premium large SUV, with 3,971 sales in April for 11th place; the Citroen e-C3 small car, with 3,862 sales in 12th; and the Ford Explorer compact SUV, with 3,687 sales. The Explorer is yet another model underpinned by VW Group’s MEB architecture.
Overall BEV sales were up 28 percent in the first four months as automakers push electrified cars to meet new EU emissions targets.
The Model Y continued to hold the top spot through April, however. (See table, below.)
Plug-in hybrids and full hybrids continue surge, at expense of gasoline and diesel
The new emissions targets also benefited sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, despite a “utility factor” curve put in place Jan. 1 that increases emissions ratings for the technology in an effort to better reflect real-world use. Many automakers debuted long-range PHEVs toward the end of 2024 ahead of that deadline.
At the same time, a number of Chinese brands launched PHEVs in Europe, notably BYD, to avoid EU tariffs on battery-electric vehicles made in China.
PHEV sales were up 32 percent for the month, according to Dataforce. The bestselling model was again the BYD Seal U, with a volume of 5,300, followed closely by the VW Tiguan, at 5,195, and the Volvo XC60, with 5,192 sales.
Sales of full-hybrid cars were up 13 percent, with Toyota and Renault Group models continuing to lead. The Toyota Yaris Cross small SUV was the leader, with 15,800 sales in April, followed by the Yaris small hatchback at 15,011. Two Renault Group models had strong debuts, with the Symbioz compact crossover in fourth place, with 7,522 sales, and the Dacia Duster in seventh place, with 5,155 sales.
Sales of nonhybrid gasoline (-9.3 percent) and diesel (-18 percent) models were down for the month. However, the gasoline category includes a new, broad range of 48-volt mild-hybrid models from Stellantis, which have lowered emissions by about 10 to 15 percent for cars such as the Peugeot 208 and Peugeot 2008.
Compact SUVs continue to lead overall segment rankings
Compact SUVs seem to have definitively overtaken small SUVs as Europe’s largest segment, with a sales increase of 20 percent in April, while small SUVs fell by 5.5 percent. Small cars were up slightly, at 0.6 percent. (See year-to-date chart, below.)
Other segments showing strong growth for the month were midsize/large SUVs and crossovers, up 26 percent on the back of new EV entrants; premium large SUVs and crossovers, up 15 percent; and premium large cars, up 38 percent almost solely on the debut of the Audi A6 E-tron EV, which accounted for the majority of the segment’s volume gain.
