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fliptop [soylentnews.org] writes:

Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Europe’s key automotive markets surged by 51% in March [oilprice.com] as the Iran war pushed gasoline prices to multi-year highs, data published by research firm New Automotive and trade association E-Mobility Europe showed [emobilityeurope.org] on Monday:

More than 224,000 new electric passenger cars were registered in March alone across 15 key EU + EFTA markets, the analysis found. These sales accounted for as much as 22% of all new passenger car sales across the key European markets.

In another sign that expensive gasoline is pushing drivers to EVs, European Union member states registered more than 500,000 new electric cars in the first quarter of 2026, a surge of 33.5% compared to the same period last year, the data showed.

New BEV registrations accelerated across every major EU market in the first quarter of 2026. Europe’s five largest countries — Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland — all recorded BEV growth above 40% year-to-date.

[...] Energy security was the catalyst for change in driver choice in recent weeks, analysts at New Automotive and E-Mobility Europe say.

Previously:

• Honda Hits Brakes On EV Rollout Amid Rising Losses [soylentnews.org]
• Porsche Puts Its Faith Back in Internal Combustion Engines [soylentnews.org]
• After a $26 Billion Hit, Stellantis Shifts Focus Back to What Buyers Want [soylentnews.org]
• Stellantis Drops Jeep, Chrysler Plug-in Hybrids Amid EV Sales Slowdown [soylentnews.org]
• Canadian EV Sales Collapse by 35% as Gas Car Purchases Surge [soylentnews.org]

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