French new-car market continues painful decline despite hybrid growth

06 May 2025

New-car registrations declined again in France, with the market yet to see overall growth in 2025. This was driven by a drop in deliveries of internal-combustion engine (ICE) models, while hybrids soared. Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker assesses the figures.

A total of 138,697 new-cars took to French roads in April, a decrease of 5.6% compared to one year ago. Despite the same number of working days, this result marked a loss of 8,280 units from April 2024.

Registrations fell by 7.3% across the first four months of the year, according to the latest data from the PFA. The country recorded 548,782 deliveries in this period, a drop of 43,099 units year on year.

‘The market trend is becoming clearer again, as we had anticipated, but it is cause for concern. Demand is too weak to supply the market and manufacturers are counting on the so-called tactical channels, the only ones on the rise, to sell their inventory,’ said Marie-Laure Nivot, head of automotive market analysis at AAA Data.

‘Even private leasing has collapsed by at least 20% this month, despite having played a major role in supporting purchases over the last 10 years,’ she added.

Pivotal petrol decline

Volumes of new petrol models in France decreased by 38.8% in April, with 28,932 registrations. The result underlined 13 consecutive months of double-digit drops for the fuel type. It also represented petrol’s lowest monthly volume since August 2024. Market-wide deliveries would have grown by 10.1% if petrol were excluded from the total figures.

Petrol-powered cars took a 20.9% share of total registrations, down 11.2 percentage points (pp) compared to 12 months prior. This was the fuel type’s lowest market share of the year so far, falling 5.2pp from January.

In the year to date, the powertrain recorded 126,883 registrations, equating to a decline of 35.2%. Removing petrol models from the new-car market would have resulted in a 6.6% improvement. It accounted for 23.1% of total volumes, down from a 33.1% share during the first four months of 2024.

Diesel falls further

Deliveries of diesel-powered cars fell by 41.1% in April, with 6,701 units. It was the worst-performing single powertrain in April. The result also marked 10 consecutive months of double-digit decline.

The fuel type captured 4.8% of the market last month, a drop of 2.9pp year on year. This was the smallest share of any powertrain during April, except for the ‘others’ category.

Across the first four months of 2025, diesel model registrations dropped by 44.5%, with 24,827 units. The fuel type represented 4.5% of overall volumes, down by 3.1pp year on year.

Combined petrol and diesel figures dropped by 39.2%, totalling 35,633 units. If ICE models were excluded, the overall new-car market would have grown by 16.6%. ICE vehicles accounted for 25.7% of total registrations, down 14.2pp compared to the same period last year.

From January to April, deliveries of ICE models have decreased by 37%, with 151,710 units. This marked a year-on-year drop of 88,936 units. The two fuel types took a 27.6%  market share in the year to date, down from 40.7%.

Hybrids on top

Combining full and mild variants, hybrid registrations surged 37.7% in April with 63,060 deliveries. Hybrids accounted for 45.5% of the total market, up 14.3pp compared to April 2024.

Across the first four months of 2025, the technology improved volumes by 44.9% year on year, reaching 247,327 registrations. This equated to a gain of 76,584 units.

Removing this performance from the overall figure, the market would have suffered a steeper drop of 28.4%. Hybrids took a 45.1% share from January to April, up from 28.8%.

‘Hybrids are the best-selling powertrain so far this year, as the sales lost from petrol and diesel-powered cars went to this technology. Hybrids are currently not as expensive as PHEVs and BEVs. However, they usually offer a low fuel consumption for a small premium when compared to ICE models but this depends on the brand,’ commented Ludovic Percier, Autovista Group’s senior RV analyst for France.

‘Residual values for hybrids are strong. This in turn improves its leasing rate, helping new-car sales. There is also a wider range of models available for the technology, meaning it is easier for customers to find the hybrid powertrain they want,’ Percier explained.

Decline for PHEVs

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) endured an 11.7% delivery decrease last month, posting 9,593 units. However, this is the technology’s smallest decline and biggest monthly volume since the start of the year. It captured 6.9% of overall registrations, down 0.5pp compared to 12 months prior.

In the year to date, PHEVs slumped 41%, with 29,185 deliveries. This gave it a 5.3% market share, down from 8.4%.

Meanwhile, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) increased volumes by 2.4% in April, recording 25,542 registrations. This was the technology’s first month of growth since July 2024 and its biggest improvement since May 2024. It made up 18.4% of total deliveries, up 1.4pp year on year.

From January to April, BEV deliveries fell 4.8% to 100,061 units. However, its 18.2% share was up 0.4pp compared to the same period last year, due to the struggles of ICE.

No saving EVs

Adding together BEV and PHEV figures, the electric vehicle (EV) market fell by 1.9% in April with 35,135 registrations. This was despite a strong result for BEVs.

Plug-ins captured 25.3% of the overall market, up 0.9pp compared to April 2024. This was just 0.4pp away from the share recorded by ICE, compared to a 15.5pp gap one year prior.

Across the first four months of the year, EVs suffered a 16.4% delivery decline, posting 129,246 units. This marked a drop of 25,342 registrations. Plug-ins took a 23.6% share in the year to date, down from 26.1% in the same period of 2024.

Combining hybrids with the EV total, the electrified market rose by 20.3% year on year in April. This powertrain grouping hit 98,195 deliveries, representing 70.8% of the new-car market, up 15.3pp compared to one year ago.

The electrified share led ICE models by 45.1pp last month, a significant increase from the previous gap of 15.6pp recorded in April 2024. In the year to date, registrations of electrified models grew by 15.8% to 376,573 units. This gave the powertrain grouping a 68.6% market share in this period, up from 55%.

The ‘others’ category, including super ethanol, natural gas and liquified petroleum gas vehicles, fell by 27.9% last month. It recorded 4,869 deliveries, giving it a 3.5% share, down 0.9pp year on year. In the year to date, the category endured a 20.9% delivery decline, with 20,499 units. It made up 3.7% of overall volumes, down from 4.4%.