EVs At 25.3% Share In France – Renault Top Two

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April’s auto market noticed plugin EVs at 25.3% share in France, up from 24.3% year-on-year. BEVs had been barely up in share YoY, while PHEVs had been fractionally down. General auto quantity was 138,697 items, down some 6percentYoY. The Renault 5 was France’s greatest promoting BEV in April.

April noticed mixed EVs at 25.3% share in France, with full battery electrics (BEVs) at 18.4%, and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) at 6.9%. These evaluate with YoY figures of 24.3% mixed, 16.9% BEV, and seven.4% PHEV.

Recall the context of France’s EV transition:

• The BEV eco-bonus buy incentive was trimmed from €7,000 right down to €4,000 from January 1st 2025. PHEVs have (from January 1st) misplaced their earlier waiver on weight-based taxes, resulting in a loss in share.

• The profitable 2024 “Social Leasing” scheme gave a lift to BEVs within the 2024 March to September interval (affecting the baseline for YoY comparisons). This scheme will return (at a considerably extra modest degree) in September 2025, so we are going to see some hold-back results on BEV gross sales, as we get close to to its restart.

• Normal tightening of the CO2 emissions threshold for “malus écologique” taxes (from 113 g/km in 2025, and 105 g/km in 2026) signifies that emissions are more and more closely penalised. For instance, autos emitting over 193 g/km can face penalties as much as €70,000! That is encouraging a quick conversion of remaining ICE-only powertrains over to HEV and MHEV (see timeline graph under), and in addition serving to EV gross sales considerably.

• Extra broadly, the EU fee, in early March 2025, proposed a watering down of beforehand agreed 2025 EU car emission targets. It was proposed that the earlier plan for a year-by-year tightening, get replaced by a broader “averaged” compliance window (over 2025-2027), successfully making 2025 progress now voluntary, if compensated for in 2027. As of time of writing, this loosening of former targets continues to be a proposal making its way through the EU legislative maze.

• Lastly, there are actually a number of somewhat-affordable compelling BEVs obtainable within the French market (Citroen e-C3, Renault 5, Fiat Grande Panda, Hyundai Inster, and others). The BYD Dolphin Mini might come to European markets later within the 12 months, at a fair cheaper price level. That these BEVs are actually actual selections out there – even within the occasion their supply instances might require some endurance – makes ICE alternate options comparatively unattractive.

In opposition to this backdrop, April market share figures are comprehensible. BEVs proceed to slowly however certainly develop, while PHEVs stay persistently under their 10% peak share of 2023. HEVs (and MHEVs) are a quick-and-cheap brief time period emissions discount step for legacy auto, however not a long run resolution.

In the meantime combustion-only powertrains proceed to decrease. Diesel-only fell from 7.7% share to 4.8% YoY. Petrol-only fell from 32.2% share to twenty.9% YoY.

Greatest Promoting BEV Fashions

The Renault 5 was as soon as once more the perfect promoting BEV in April, marking its 4th pole-position of the previous 6 months. Its bigger sibling the Renault Scenic took second spot (up from third in March). The Citroen e-C3 took third.

There have been few huge strikes within the prime 10 positions. The Tesla Mannequin Y, in second place in March (Tesla’s regular peak quantity month) fell again to eleventh in April (a traditional low-ebb month). Quantity deliveries of the Juniper refresh are anticipated to start in Could or June, although it could take till the tip of Q3 for a brand new steady-state to emerge.

The Kia EV3 climbed as much as a document tenth place, with 551 registrations, from round twentieth previously couple of months. The brand new Skoda Elroq climbed into the highest 20 for the primary time, in thirteenth place with 519 items. It overtook its older and dearer sibling, the Enyaq, let’s see if this new household pecking order is sustained.

The BYD Seal additionally entered the highest 20 for the primary time, in 14th spot, with 503 items, after having been on sale in France for round 18 months. This can be a document single-model quantity for BYD in France (the Atto 3 noticed 470 items again in December 2023).

The brand new Opel Frontera additionally noticed its first prime 20 rating, in 18th spot, with 454 items.

We are able to additionally see that the brand new Citroen e-C3 Aircross landed within the prime 20, in sixteenth place, with 495 items, an excellent outcome. Though our supply knowledge is proscribed to the highest  20 fashions, it appears the Aircross might have seen modest preliminary buyer volumes beginning round February (tell us within the feedback if extra). Let’s see how fashionable it’s in comparison with its ~10% smaller sibling, the common e-C3.

Right here’s the trailing 3-month chart (notice that quantity for Mini is estimated +/- 5%):

The Renault 5 is now consolidating its management within the French market, having led persistently for a lot of the previous 6 months. The Citroen e-C3 is again in second place, and the Renault Scenic is in third.

We sadly don’t but have sufficient knowledge to outline the 3-month rankings past thirteenth spot, however it’s doable the Kia EV3 might have joined in round twentieth spot for the primary time, and its robust April outcome suggests it may possibly climb additional.

Outlook

April noticed the general French auto market return to the latest down-trend, with a 6% YoY quantity decline. Just one month of the previous 12 has prevented falling auto volumes YoY. Within the broader French financial system, we now have Q1 2025 GDP figures, displaying 0.8% YoY growth – lacklustre and barely under the Euro space common of 1.2%, however forward of Germany (in recession). Inflation remained low at 0.5% and ECB rates of interest declined to 2.4%. Manufacturing PMI improved barely to 48.7 factors in April, up from 48.5 in March.

With the Reanult 5 now taking a powerful lead, and different small and inexpensive fashions climbing (and extra coming) it appears the French market is lastly placing the mandatory substances in place for the mass-market BEV transition. It now simply relies on first rate obtainable volumes of those fashions, and a point of competitors between them.

What are your ideas on France’s EV transition? Please be part of the dialogue under along with your perspective and questions.