European electric & hybrids market "almost equal with China", figures show

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New figures released today by German-based automotive sector analyst Matthias Schmidt have revealed that the electric passenger car market in Western Europe was almost equal to that of China by the end of last year.

According to the data, the West European market finished 2020 less than 35,000 units behind that of China. This is a stark contrast when compared with the difference between the two at the end of 2019 - around 650,000 units.

Read more: German Auto Sector's EV Push Leaves Tesla In The Dust

In Western Europe, a market which includes the original EU states before enlargement in 2004, as well as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, sales were almost evenly split between battery-powered electric cars and plug-in hybrids adding to the 1.33 million new passenger cars on Europe's roads last year.

In China, four out of five new plug-in cars on the country's road last year were the pure battery variety, with one in five being hybrid.

Sales volumes in Europe were also aided last year by the introduction of newly increased levels of fleet average CO2 emissions across the EU (including Norway, Iceland and the UK).

The EC directive forced otherwise reticent auto companies to begin introducing otherwise less profitable plug-in models to market, in order to meet compliance regulations and avoid hefty fines - €95 for each g/km in excess of the targets.

Similar regulations were also introduced in Switzerland as part of the countries emissions legislation, providing a boost there too.

Read more: Electric Vehicle Sales Triple In 2020 As Race To Cut Emissions Continues

As part of their Covid recovery stimulus packages, several national governments across Europe also offered subsidies to people buying electric vehicles, bolstering the auto sector and making EVs more attractive to the consumer.

The news will come as a boost for the European automotive sector which took a blow last year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and has been concerned about its ability to catch up with China - which still produces a large proportion of the batteries used in plug-in cars - for some time. 

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