Europeans are still buying a lot of cars, but at a slower pace. But the trends are obvious: more and more electric cars, Tesla dominates the market, and Chinese models are trying to break into the hearts of Europeans.

And so far they have the strongest argument: the price. In essence, America’s trade war with China is taking place in Europe, in the fight for the best-selling electric cars.

In September, the number of new cars in Europe increased by 10% to 1,155,648 units. That’s the slowest growth rate on record this year, largely due to sluggish manufacturing as well as the financial challenges facing Europe.

Demand for EVs was also high in early fall due to the lack of affordable EVs on the market. In total, 186,380 electric vehicles were registered, or 16.1% of the market, which is 13% more than in September 2022.

This year, 1,465,249 new electric cars were registered, which is 47% more than in the same period last year. “Despite the higher prices, these vehicles have a significant presence in the market. We will see this growth continue only when cheaper alternatives appear,” says Miguel Munoz, chief analyst at Jato.com.

The popularity of SUVs continues to support car sales, accounting for 60% of total car sales in September, and in the same month, the Tesla Model Y, Tesla’s electric SUV, was the best-selling new car in Europe with 29,309 units.

The presence of the Chinese in the European car market has increased, which shows that electric cars sold on the continent have only one direction, which is also supported by the EU, namely the complete conquest of the market.

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