UK and France Hit Record Plugin EV Market Shares in Q2 2026
Plugin electric vehicles reached 41.4% of new car sales in the UK and 34.5% in France in the second quarter of 2026, driven by strong battery electric vehicle growth.
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Plugin electric vehicle market shares hit record highs in the UK and France during the second quarter of 2026, with battery electric vehicles leading the surge despite mixed economic conditions.
In the UK, plugin EVs accounted for 41.4% of new car registrations in Q2 2026, up from 34.2% in the same period a year earlier, according to industry data. Battery electric vehicles alone captured a 28.1% share, compared to 22.7% in Q2 2025, while plug-in hybrids rose to 13.3% from 11.6%. The overall auto market grew to 523,075 units, an increase of about 13% year-on-year. BEV sales volume jumped 40% to 146,965 units, and PHEV sales rose 30% to 69,466 units. The combined share of combustion-only vehicles fell to a record low of 45.2%.
Tesla remained the best-selling BEV brand in the UK during the quarter, with a market share of 11.0%, up from 9.8% a year earlier. Volkswagen came second with 7.2%, down from 9.5%, while Kia took third place with 6.7%, up from 4.7%.
Cumulatively, BEVs held a 25.0% share of the UK market at the end of Q2 2026, up from 21.6% a year earlier, while PHEVs accounted for 13.0%, up from 10.3%.
The UK economy showed mixed signals: the interest rate stood at 3.75% since mid-December 2025, headline inflation fell to 2.6% at the end of Q2 2026 from 3.3% at the end of Q1, and the manufacturing PMI rose to about 52 points from around 51 points.
In France, plugin EVs captured a 34.5% market share in Q2 2026, a sharp increase from 23.9% in Q2 2025. BEVs alone took 28.3% of the market, up from 17.1%, while PHEVs slipped to 6.2% from 6.8%. The French auto market totaled 457,688 units in Q2 2026, up about 6% year-on-year. BEV sales surged 75% to 120,479 units, while PHEV sales fell about 4% to 28,281 units.
The top-selling BEV in France was the Tesla Model Y with 11,695 units, followed by the Renault 5 with 10,579 units and the Renault Scenic with 6,233 units.
France's interest rate was raised to 2.5% in early June 2026, after being at 2.25% for the previous 12 months. GDP growth was 0.9% year-on-year in Q1 2026, with a forecast of 0.6% for Q2 (official figures not yet published). The manufacturing PMI hovered around 50 points.
Both countries saw BEV volume growth accelerate: in the UK, BEV sales grew 14.5% year-on-year in Q1 2026 and 40.4% in Q2 2026, indicating a strong uptick in consumer adoption.