Are EV registrations booming in Italy?

13 May 2025

Electric vehicles (EVs) enjoyed exceptional growth in Italy during April, up by over 100% year on year. While this is a promising performance, it might not be a fair comparison. Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus explains.

At first glance, Italy’s new-car market is seeing a pronounced powertrain trend. Since the start of 2025, internal-combustion engines (ICEs) have suffered steep delivery declines. Meanwhile, EV registrations, including battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), have surged.

However, these plug-in models have struggled to make up for the shortfall in petrol and diesel figures. This is due to their relatively lower volumes and market share. With hybrids, including full and mild variations, also recording growth, the Italian new-car market is only just remaining stable.

In April, registrations were up by 2.7% year on year with 139,142 units delivered. According to the data from ANFIA, this equated to 3,685 more new cars than in the same month last year. With declines in January and February, followed by growth in March, the market fell in the year to date.

In total, the country saw 583,221 new cars hit its roads between January and April. This equated to a year-on-year drop of 0.6%, with 3,561 fewer units being delivered.  But what does the current powertrain dynamic reveal about these figures?

Italy powertrain performance

In April, BEV registrations increased by 108.2% year on year, with 6,643 units delivered. This meant the powertrain’s market share effectively doubled from 2.4% in April 2024 to 4.8% last month.

In the year to date, the powertrain saw an increase of 79.4%, with 29,637 all-electric cars hitting the roads. This pushed the technology’s share to 5.1%, up by 2.3 percentage points (pp) from the same point in 2024.

PHEV deliveries increased by 77% compared to April 2024, reaching 7,818 units and a market share of 5.6%, up 2.3pp. Between January and April, the powertrain saw growth of 77%, with its hold on the market increasing by 2.3pp to 5.1%.

‘Looking at powertrains, the good trend in registrations of plug-in cars and, particularly for BEVs, continues,’ said ANFIA president Roberto Vavassori. ‘Although this was still with very moderate market shares.’

An EV boom in Italy?

These results meant EVs claimed a 10.4% market share in Italy during April, up 4.8pp. A total of 14,461 new plug-ins were registered in this period, an increase of 90.1% year on year. The growth was not as sharp in the year to date, rising 59.5% to 56,070 units. This allowed the powertrain grouping to take a 9.6% share, up 3.6pp.

The plug-in share in Italy is still significantly lower than other major European markets. In the year to date, EVs captured market shares of 30.3% in the UK and 27.2% in Germany. France saw plug-ins represent 23.6% of all deliveries, while Spain recorded 14.7% EV share.

There is an even more important point to consider when examining Italy’s EV market. In late December 2023, the Italian Government confirmed the return of EV purchase incentives, known as the Ecobonus.

However, the scheme did not come into effect until June. This meant that in the first five months of the year, EV buyers held off on their purchases. Registrations of these vehicles were down significantly compared to 2023.

Therefore, the figures recorded so far this year have been compared to a far slower period for EVs, inflating growth. Once this comparative low point is at an end, a more balanced comparison should be possible. However, with ICE registration figures falling and plug-in deliveries climbing, there is clearly an increasing acceptance of electrification in Italy.

Hybrid high

Hybrids were once again the dominant powertrain in Italy last month. The technology accounted for 44% of all new cars sold, up from its 39.6% share recorded 12 months prior. Deliveries were up 14.2%, reaching 61,216 units.

In the year to date, the powertrain grouping recorded 259,903 registrations. This equated to year-on-year growth of 15% and a market share of 44.6%, up 6.1pp.  

Adding these figures to the overall EV numbers shows that over half of all new cars were electrified in Italy last month. The 54.4% share was up from 45.2% in April last year. Its total of 75,677 deliveries was up by 23.7%.

In the first four months of the year, electrified registrations of electrified powertrains climbed 21%. The 315,973 units made up 54.2% of Italy’s new-car market, up 9.7pp.

On thin ICE

In contrast, ICE-powered vehicles saw registrations fall in April, down 15% year on year. The 52,454 units made up 37.7% of the market in the month, down from a 45.6% share in April 2024. In the year to date, the grouping made up 36.9% of all deliveries, down 9.1pp. Deliveries fell by 20.2% between January to April, reaching 215,270 units.

Broken down, petrol-powered vehicle registrations dropped by 9.8% to 38,121 units. This meant they made up 27.4% of the market, down from 31.2% a year earlier. In the year to date, the fuel type suffered a 14.4% dip to 156,239 vehicles. This equated to a 26.8% share, down 4.3pp.

Meanwhile, diesel models saw a greater drop of 26.3% to 14,333 units and a 10.3% market share, down 4pp. In the year to date, the powertrain took a 10.1% share compared to a 14.9% hold from 12 months prior. Registrations reached 59,031 units in the first four months of the year, down 32.4%.