New figures show registrations of new diesel passenger cars fell sharply across much of the EU between 2014 and 2024, while battery-only electric cars rose from a small base.
The data track 20 EU countries with comparable figures over the decade, covering 93% of all new passenger car registrations in the EU in 2024, Eurostat announced on Friday.
Across those countries, the number of new diesel-powered cars registered — including diesel hybrids — dropped by 67% over the period, while new petrol-powered registrations — including petrol hybrids — increased by 60%.
Battery-only electric cars made up 13.9% of new registrations in 2024, up from 0.3% in 2014, and the number of registrations was 45 times higher than a decade earlier.
Alternative fuels also edged up
Registrations of new cars using other alternative fuels were 13% higher in 2024 than in 2014, according to the same figures.
These “other” fuels include liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, hydrogen and fuel cells, bioethanol, biodiesel and bi-fuel vehicles.
The statistics are drawn from the 2025 edition of "Key figures on European transport," published in January, which compiles EU transport data spanning infrastructure, economic impact, energy use and environmental effects.
