European auto market sees rapid rise of Chinese brands and electric vehicle sales

In May 2026 the European Union, EFTA states and the United Kingdom registered 1,152,523 new passenger cars, a 3.6 % year‑on‑year increase. Registrations of electric vehicles (EVs) surged to 261,933, up 38.5 % on the same month a year earlier, and the January‑May total reached 1,239,458 EVs, 30.7 % more than in 2025. Tesla’s Model Y remained the best‑selling EV with 17,183 units in May and more than 76,000 sold year‑to‑date, followed by the Model 3.

Chinese manufacturers broke the 10 % market‑share barrier for the first time in Europe, selling 121,030 new cars in May – almost double the 2025 figure. BYD, MG, Chery and other Chinese brands led the growth, with BYD topping the plug‑in‑hybrid segment. In Poland Chinese brands accounted for 15 % of new car registrations.

Poland’s EV market contracted sharply: only 2,015 new electric cars were registered in May, a 28.5 % drop and a 4 % market share, largely because the government subsidy programme ended. Hybrid‑powered cars now represent 51 % of all new registrations in Poland, while the EU overall sees hybrids at 37.8 % and EVs at 20 % of the market.

Heavy‑truck electrification remains modest, with electric trucks still below 1 % of EU sales, but manufacturers such as Volvo Trucks Poland report growing interest and are expanding charging infrastructure to meet EU CO₂‑reduction targets.