• Mercedes-Benz overtook Volkswagen to become the top-selling EV brand in Europe.
• Germany leads the European market with 28% market share.
• The top 10 EV models accounted for almost one-fourth of EV sales in Q2 2022.

New Delhi, London, Beijing, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Seoul – October 10, 2022

Europe’s passenger electric vehicle (EV) sales* increased 16% YoY in Q2 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Passenger Electric Vehicle Model Sales Tracker. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 55% of total EV sales during the quarter. Germany, with a 28% share, remained the European EV market leader, followed by France with 16% and the UK with 14%. Among other European nations, Spain and the Netherlands were the fastest growing EV markets, nearly doubling their sales on a YoY basis. However, Norway had the highest EV sales penetration (85%) among European countries and also globally.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Vice President of Research Peter Richardson said, “Europe’s automotive market has been hit by a series of events. The supply chain disruption due to the Russia-Ukraine war had a serious negative impact. The supply crunch of vehicle wiring harnesses and other important components, together with a lack of critical raw materials, forced automakers across Europe, especially in Germany and the UK, to cut vehicle production for several weeks. Moreover, to show solidarity with Ukraine, most automakers halted their businesses in Russia, further hurting sales performance during Q2. Additionally, rising inflation and currency devaluations have pushed raw material costs higher.”

Market Summary

The top five brands accounted for only 36% of the total EV sales across Europe in Q2 2022. Europe is one of the most competitive EV markets where OEMs must fight hard for relatively small market shares. This ensures that most OEMs have similar market shares with a difference of only a few points.

Mercedes-Benz
Leading the pack, Mercedes-Benz accounted for around 9.2% of the total EV sales across Europe during the quarter. Last year, the company announced it would stop the development of internal combustion engines and strengthen its focus on electrification instead. Although the company had the highest number of EV sales across Europe, BEV sales accounted for only 28% of its total EV sales. The company’s present portfolio is strong. Its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models include the GLC-Class, GLE-Class and C-Class, while its top-selling BEV models are the EQA, EQB, and EQE.

BMW
BMW, an early adopter of electrification, was the second-best selling EV brand in Europe in Q2 2022. BMW had a 9.1% share of the EV market in Europe during the period. The PHEV segment accounted for 71% of the company’s total EV sales. The BMW X series and the BMW 3 series cars dominated the PHEV segment, while the company’s i-Series models, namely the iX, i4 and i3, were the flagbearers of its BEV segment.

Volkswagen
Among European OEMs, Volkswagen was hurt the most from the Russia-Ukraine war. Supply chain disruptions and component shortages reduced the company’s sales by 44% YoY during Q2 2022. Volkswagen, one of the largest auto OEMs, was able to secure just 6.2% of Europe EV sales during the quarter. The company is betting on its ID series cars to dominate the EV market. Presently, 64% of EVs sold by Volkswagen are from the ID series alone.

Among other brands, Tesla’s performance fell short of expectations even though its Berlin Gigafactory started production in March 2022. Tesla sales in Europe fell 51% YoY during Q2 2022 mainly due to production halts at its China operations in April and May, stemming from supply issues and restrictions related to the pandemic. A major proportion of Tesla cars sold in Europe is imported from China.

Source: Global Passenger Electric Vehicle Model Sales Tracker: Q1 2018 – Q2 2022

Commenting on the EV ecosystem development, Research Vice President Neil Shah said, “Europe is one of the more mature EV markets. EV sales in Europe have gained traction, thus incentives and subsidies related to EV sales have reduced to almost nil in most European nations. Presently, Europe is looking to strengthen its charging infrastructure and battery recycling ecosystem. A strong charging infrastructure network is likely to boost EV penetration. Among European nations, the Netherlands has the highest density of EV charging stations. Alongside governments, private players, such as Webasto, Free2Move, EVBox, Shell and BP, are teaming up with OEMs to set up a network of charging stations across Europe.”

Shah added, “Apart from developing a strong network of charging stations, the rising demand for EVs is leading to the rise of battery recycling plants. Battery recycling plants are necessary to control e-waste and to recycle valuable metals that can be used in new batteries.”

Source: Global Passenger Electric Vehicle Model Sales Tracker: Q1 2018 - Q2 2022

The top 10 EV models in Europe contributed to around 23% of the EV market in Q2 2022. Bestsellers were the Fiat 500, followed by the Tesla Model Y and Peugeot 208. In the year-ago quarter, none of these EVs were among the top five. The change in the market was due to multiple production shutdowns and delays in shipments faced by OEMs. In 2021, the top-selling EV models were the Renault ZOE, Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV. In Q2 2022, eight out of the top 10 EV models sold in Europe were BEVs.

Commenting on the market outlook, Associate Director Mohit Agrawal said, “EV sales are expected to exceed 2.5 million units by the end of 2022, according to Counterpoint’s Global Passenger Vehicle Forecast. The market is expected to be slow due to component shortages, economic turmoil and geopolitical tensions. Still, one in every five cars sold in Europe will likely be an EV by the end of this year. In 2021, EV sales in Europe accounted for 15% of total passenger vehicle sales.”

*Sales here refer to wholesale figures, i.e. deliveries out of factories by respective brands/companies.

*Under electric vehicles (EVs), we are considering only battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are not included in this study.

The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Global Electric Passenger Vehicle Sales Tracker, Q1 2018-Q2 2022’ is now available for purchase at report.counterpointresearch.com.

Feel free to reach us at [email protected] for questions regarding our latest research and insights.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Peter Richardson

Counterpoint Research

[email protected]

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