Dr. Maximilian Holland

France’s auto market saw plugin electric vehicles (EVs) take 22.3% share of new sales in January, up from 17.6% year on year. Full electrics saw stronger growth than plugin hybrids. Overall auto volumes were 111,939 units, some 9% higher YoY, but still well below pre-2020 seasonal norms. January’s best selling full electric was the Dacia Spring. January’s 22.3% combined plugin share comprised 13.1% full electrics (BEVs), and 9.2% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). These compare with respective shares of 17.6%, 9.9%, and 7.7%, a year ago.

Norway saw plugin electric vehicles take 76.3% share of the auto market in January, down from 90.5% year on year. The January auto market was highly anomalous due to the new year’s introduction of tighter auto emissions and tax increases, which had pulled sales forward into December. Overall January auto volumes were just 1,860 units, under 5% of December’s volume, and the lowest monthly volume in over 60 years! The auto market will resume more typical patterns in the months ahead. January’s bestseller was the Volkswagen ID.Buzz.

Sweden’s plugin electric vehicle share in January was 52.4%, flat from 52.9% year on year. The temporary pause in growth comes after a pull-forward in December. Overall auto volume in January was 35,476 units, some 27% down from January 2022. The best selling full electric was the Volvo XC40. January’s combined plugin share of 52.4% comprised 28.9% full electrics (BEVs), and 23.5% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). This compares to respective shares of 52.9%, 25.9%, and 27.0% a year ago; thus BEVs are still steadily replacing PHEVs in share.

The UK’s auto market saw plugin electric vehicles take 39.4% share of new sales in December, a new record, up from 33.2% year on year. Full electrics alone took almost a third of the market. Overall auto volumes were up 18% year on year in December, but still down compared to pre-2020 norms. The Tesla Model Y was the UK’s overall 3rd best selling vehicle in 2022, and the top seller in December.

December saw France’s plug-in electric vehicles grow to take 25.0% share of the auto market, up fractionally from 24.4% a year ago. Full electrics grew at a decent rate, but plugin hybrids fell. Overall auto volumes for the month were flat year on year, but full year 2022 volumes were down almost 8% on 2021. The Dacia Spring was December’s bestselling BEV. December’s overall plugin result of 25.0% comprised 15.8% full battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and 9.2% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). This is barely changed from their respective shares of 14.6%, and 9.8%, in December 2021.

The tide has turned in the electrification of the German auto market, with plugin electric vehicles taking the majority of sales for the first time in December. Plugins took 55.4% of the month’s passenger auto sales, with full electrics taking a third (33.2%) and plugin hybrids taking over a fifth (22.2%). Plugless hybrids took 12.8%, leaving less than a third of sales for combustion-only autos (31.8%). Overall auto volumes in December were 314,318 units, up some 38% on December 2021. 2022’s total auto sales were 2.65 million units, up just 1.1% from 2021. December’s overall bestselling vehicle (of any kind) was the Tesla Model 3 with 9,566 registrations.

Norway’s auto market saw plugin EV volume explode to take 87.6% share in December, with huge numbers of BEVs registered, and overall auto volumes double those of seasonal norms. The freak volume in December 2022 resulted from one-off pull-forward effects ahead of new policies and auto taxes applying from 2023 onwards. BEVs saw pull-forward sales, with volume around 2.5x their previous monthly record, ahead of new weight taxes, and VAT taxes. Petrol vehicles also saw a relative sales surge ahead of increased emissions taxes. Several interesting new BEV models joined the market, and the Tesla Model Y was the overall best seller.

Sweden’s auto market saw plugin electric vehicle share continue to grow strongly in December, reaching a record 74.6%, up from 60.7% year on year. Full electrics alone took a record 51.3% share of the market. Overall, auto volume for the month was up 28% year on year, but still 18% down from December 2019. Full year 2022 saw auto volumes fall by 4% compared to 2021, and fall by over 19% compared to 2019. December’s bestselling BEV was the Volvo XC40. The full year bestseller was the Volkswagen ID.4.