Sales of electric and hybrid cars are doing better. The thermal engine is losing more and more market share, mainly to the benefit of 100% electric vehicles.
The French automobile market is doing well, as evidenced by the figures published by Avere France. In May 2023, 145,538 new registrations were recorded, combustion, hybrid and electric engines combined. A 13% increase in sales compared to May 2022. Electric and hybrid cars are the main beneficiaries of this upturn, with 37,662 vehicles sold. They therefore account for 21.4% of sales, up 36.3% over a rolling year.
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In total, 22,667 new vehicles sold were 100% electric, and 12,657 were hybrids. According to the national association for the development of electric mobility, “the share of electric cars now represents 15.6% of the French car fleet”. A share that will undoubtedly grow further by the end of the year, since in the first half of 2023, sales in the electric passenger car category increased by 48.7%.
Auto sales rebound, Tesla Model Y and Fiat 500 most popular
It must be said that the year 2022 was so catastrophic for the automotive industry, sales had never been so weak since 1975, that a rebound in registrations was expected. Although thermal engine cars still represent a large majority of sales, the recovery in activity is particularly noticeable in the field of electric cars. This can be seen in the number of new registrations, but also in the number of charging points made available to motorists : in May 2023, we thus passed the symbolic milestone of 100,000. The fear of breakdowns in electric cars is less and less justified.
Not all electric car models are equally popular. The Tesla Model Y consolidates its status as the best-selling car in the world, by taking almost 12% of EV sales, with 2,709 units sold in May 2023. It is closely followed by the Fiat 500, at 2,601 units . The Peugeot 208 occupies the third step of the podium, with 1914 sales.