Floundering French new-car market ends 2025 in decline despite EV breakthrough

05 January 2026

The French new-car market struggled again in December, recording another decline. However, the monthly result marked a shift in the overall powertrain dynamic as EVs stepped up. Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the figures.

The new-car market in France saw instability across 2025. Amid this troubled year, December’s results prompted a change in powertrain dominance, as electric demand took hold. 

In total, 172,929 units were registered in the last month of 2025, according to Autovista24 analysis of PFA data. This was down 5.8% year on year, meaning that the country only achieved growth in three months of 2025.

December’s poor result owed much to the continued decline of internal-combustion engine (ICE) models. Additionally, the hybrid market, made up of full and mild-hybrid powertrains, remained relatively stable. This meant it was unable to fill the void created by the decline in petrol and diesel deliveries.

With nine months of declines, the French new-car market finished the year with registrations down by 5%.  A total of 1,632,154 new cars made their way to customers, a drop of 86,262 units, according to PFA data.

EV ascension

December’s results led to a swing in powertrain dominance across the year. Electric vehicles (EVs), including battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), recorded a greater market share than ICE across 2025.

This was thanks to a strong run of BEV performances, boosted by new incentives. Yet, the wider market decline is most likely due to the demise of petrol and diesel. There was an 8.9 percentage point (pp) market share gap between ICE and EVs in January, according to Autovista24 calculations.

This decreased slowly across the year, but narrowed significantly in October, thanks to stronger BEV results. This momentum continued, leading EVs to overtake ICE by the end of December. Therefore, the change in powertrain dynamics will likely continue into the new year.

Thanks to their increased popularity, BEVs ended 2025 just behind petrol in terms of market share. There was only 1.2pp between the two technologies by the end of the year. This was down from 8.7pp at the start of 2025, according to Autovista24 calculations.

This run of form could continue throughout 2026, with the country’s ecological bonus extended. Furthermore, social leasing plans will continue to run until the end of 2030, making EV ownership more affordable for drivers.

Good month for BEVs

With their run of strong results toward the end of the year, BEVs ended 2025 with 326,923 units registered. This was a 12.5% increase on 2024, with an additional 36,309 units taking to the road, according to Autovista24 calculations. This was an impressive result, considering the powertrain was down against 2024 year-to-date volumes until October.

Even more impressively, BEVs ended the year 18,310 units behind petrol, having been more than 46,000 units in its wake halfway through 2025. After 12 months, all-electric vehicles accounted for 20% of France’s registrations tally, up 3.1pp year on year. This was just 1.2pp behind petrol’s share of the yearly total.

In December, 42,212 new BEVs were delivered, according to Autovista24 analysis. This was a 42.5% improvement compared to the same month last year. The volume meant that in the final month of 2025, BEVs held a 24.4% market share, up 8.3pp.

PHEV struggle continues

While BEVs rode high, PHEVs had a difficult year. Across the 12 months, the technology saw registrations fall by 25.8%, with 108,627 units delivered. This meant that 37,771 fewer models took to French roads throughout the year.

December completed a full year of monthly declines, as drivers in the country shunned the powertrain. While still proving more popular than diesel, PHEVs ended 2025 with a 6.7% market share, down by 1.8pp.

In December alone, PHEVs saw a 30.1% reduction in volumes, as 17,272 units were registered. The technology achieved a 10% share of the overall total, down by 3.5pp. This made it the country’s fourth most popular powertrain.

Strong EV ending

The PHEV decline in 2025 meant that overall EV registrations ended the year with a drop. However, this was just a 0.3% fall, equating to just 1,462 fewer units delivered across the 12 months of the year.  

This represents quite a turnaround, with all the lifting done by BEVs. The result left electric models with a 26.7% market share, up by 1.3pp compared to the whole of 2024.

In December, EV registrations totalled 59,484 units, a rise of 9.5%. Again, this was all thanks to the BEV performance. Plug-in models represented 34.4% of overall volumes in the month, up by 4.8pp year on year.

Petrol plummets again

While BEVs have pushed on in the second half of 2025, the French new-car market still suffered. This can be largely attributed to the performance of petrol models.

Like many other European markets in 2025, France saw fuel type plummet, with drivers turning to hybrid or electric technologies. By the end of 2025, a total of 345,233 petrol cars were delivered, a drop of 32% year-on-year. This left the powertrain with a 21.2% share of the market, down 8.3pp.

Without petrol, the total French new-car market would have seen a 6.3% rise in volumes across 2025, according to Autovista24 analysis. This indicates how the technology dragged the sector down.

December completed a full year of monthly declines, with figures down 31.1%. In total, 30,111 units were delivered, based on Autovista24 analysis of PFA figures. With a 17.4% hold of the total in December, petrol’s market share fell by 6.4pp year-on-year.

Meanwhile, diesel deliveries dropped by 36.5% across the whole of 2025, as just 79,397 models took to the road. This was 45,555 units fewer than 2024. The 4.9% market share achieved by the powertrain was 2.4pp down compared to last year.

In December, 7,625 diesel models were registered, a drop of 34.1%. The powertrain took 4.4% of the total new-car tally, down by 1.9pp compared to the same month in 2024.

Is ICE still relevant?

Combining petrol and diesel deliveries, the ICE market struggled in 2025. With 424,630 registrations in total across the 12-month period, volumes were down by 32.9%. This equated to 208,078 fewer registrations.

The group’s market share plummeted by 10.8pp, ending the year at 26%. This put it behind EVs in terms of volumes and share. The feat is even more startling considering the difficult year for PHEVs.

In December alone, ICE deliveries fell by 31.7%, with 37,736 registrations, according to Autovista24 calculations. This left the group with a 21.8% hold on the market, down 8.3pp. This was also 12.6pp behind the market share of plug-in models.

Hybrids end on top

Hybrids ended 2025 as the most popular powertrain in France. In total, 714,998 units were registered in the country across the year, a rise of 21.4%. This meant that 126,108 more units were delivered compared to 2024’s tally.

While hybrids were just ahead of petrol in 2024, the electrified powertrain dominated 2025. With a market share of 43.8%, it was up 9.5pp year on year. It also sat 22.6pp ahead of the petrol share.

However, this growth has slowed throughout the year. In December, just 0.6% more hybrids were registered. This followed two consecutive months of single-digit growth. In total, 69,374 units were delivered in the month. The powertrain held a 40.1% market share, up by 2.6pp year on year.

Adding hybrid totals to the EV group, and the electrified market was the clear leader in 2025. With 1,150,548 units, the grouping saw registrations up 12.1%, while a 70.5% market share jumped by 10.8pp.

In December alone, electrified models achieved 128,858 deliveries, a 4.5% rise. The group took 74.5% of total deliveries, up 7.4pp compared to the same month in 2024.

What to expect in 2026?

For France’s new-car market, 2025 was a year of change. Overall figures wavered as petrol sales plummeted, and diesel and PHEV registrations spluttered. The combined efforts of hybrids and BEVs were not enough to help overcome the deficit.

Petrol is unlikely to pick up again this year. This means 2026 could prove to be even more transformative for the French automotive market. In terms of volume, BEV registrations have outpaced the fossil-fuel technology since September 2025. If that continues, petrol will drop behind.

So, 2026 could be a year of electrified dominance in France. With EVs outselling ICE across the year, drivers and fleets in the country have already signalled their intent.

The fly in the ointment is the PHEV sector. Other major European markets had not seen PHEV declines by the end of November 2025, according to ACEA. France was the only one of the five biggest markets in the EU, EFTA and the UK to see this trend. Should this reluctance to adopt the technology continue, it could hinder further electrified growth.