The Automotive Update: Which brands are leading Europe’s major new-car markets?

14 May 2026

How did Europe’s big five new-car markets perform in April? Did electrified powertrains play a significant role? Plus, what were the best-selling cars in each market during the month? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry reveals all in the Automotive update podcast.

In this episode, a comprehensive look at new-car market fortunes in Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Also, a focus on electrified powertrain performances in each country. Plus, an overview of the best-selling passenger car brands. 

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BEVs help boost German new-car market

Deliveries of new cars in Germany rose by 2.7% year-on-year in April, according to the KBA.  

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) recorded year-on-year growth of 41.3%, with a market share of 25.8% in the month. This was just 2.4 percentage points below market-leading hybrids, including full and mild versions. 

Meanwhile, the 13.3% improvement of plug-in-hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), while strong, was lower than any monthly growth recorded in 2025. 

Volkswagen (VW), Germany’s most popular brand, endured a 6.7% delivery decline. Mercedes-Benz enjoyed a year-on-year improvement of 4.9% as it sat second, while new BMW volumes fell by 0.5% in third.

BYD posted a 200.4% year-on-year improvement, which was bested by Tesla’s 255.8% surge, despite a lower delivery total. Meanwhile, Leapmotor saw an even greater improvement of 331.5%.

Petrol remains popular in the UK

The UK’s new-car market experienced a 24% increase in April. New petrol sales, which includes mild hybrid volumes, aided this improvement, according to SMMT data. 

As BEVs achieved their two millionth registration in the month, the powertrain saw its volumes increase 59.1% year-on-year.

PHEVs saw a 46.4% rise, taking a 13.8% slice of the market. Meanwhile, Full hybrids gained 18.8% compared to the same period in 2025.

VW was the best-selling brand during April. The German carmaker saw volumes jump 23% year on year. Kia followed with a registrations slice of 7.2%. Then came BMW, up by 7.6%, compared to April 2025.  

The fastest growing brand in the UK was Alpine, which saw its numbers rise 554.4%. Meanwhile, Leapmotor saw volumes jump 437%. Jaecoo also performed well, experiencing a 268.2% increase in deliveries.

France flailing in April  

New-car registrations in France remained broadly stable in April, with a 0.3% decline in volumes, according to PFA and AAA Data.  

Autovista24 analysis showed that BEV deliveries rose by 41.8%, helping lift a sluggish new-car sector overall. Conversely, both PHEV and hybrid volumes declined year on year. 

Renault topped the country’s automotive brands table in the month, according to AAA Data. However, the French manufacturer saw deliveries fall by 11.5%. It was still some way ahead of second-placed Peugeot, with the Stellantis brand seeing a 2.8% increase in volumes. 

Impressive electrification in Italy 

Italy’s new-car market rose by 11.6% year on year, according to ANFIA. This was enabled by an eye-catching result for both EVs and hybrids.

BEVs saw the strongest percentage growth of 98.8%, with PHEVs chalked up a 73.2% improvement. Despite this, the two technologies’ market shares remained under 10%. 

Hybrids contributed the most additional units compared to 12 months prior, even with a lower growth of 24.3%. The technology dominated the market, with a 48.8% share. 

Fiat was the best-selling brand in Italy’s new-car market during April. The carmaker saw volumes soar by 31% in its domestic market. Meanwhile, Leapmotor emerged as the fastest growing brand, with a 1,300.6% increase year on year. 

Spain’s new-car growth span continues 

Spain’s new-car sector was the most consistent market in 2025, and this trend has continued into 2026. April saw 106,862 units delivered to customers, a jump of 8.5%, based on Autovista24 analysis of data provided by ANFAC.  

The BEV market saw a leap of 42.3%, according to Autovista24 calculation of figures from Faconauto and ACEA. This was despite delays in the launch of Spain’s new incentive scheme for electric vehicle (EV) purchases, although applications can be applied retroactively. 

Like Italy, PHEVs were the dominant EV choice, with registrations rising 42.9% year on year. Hybrids meanwhile dominated the market in April. The technology saw year-on-year registrations growth of 23.3%, providing it with a 47% share of total volumes.  

According to data from Ganvam, Toyota was the leading brand in Spain during April, as the carmaker’s volumes increased by 2.8%. 

Xpeng emerged as the fastest-growing marque, experiencing an increase of 460.6%. Leapmotor continued its strong run across Europe’s big five markets, with a 176.6% improvement year on year.