EVs Take 29.0% Share In France – Mannequin Y Regains Lead

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September’s auto gross sales noticed plugin EVs take 29.0% share in France, up from 27.6% year-on-year. BEVs grew quantity and share, and PHEVs dipped. Total auto quantity was 140,090 models, flat YoY. The Tesla Mannequin Y was the best-selling BEV, with its largest month-to-month quantity in two years.

September’s auto gross sales totals noticed mixed plugin EVs take 29.0% share in France, with 22.4% full battery-electrics (BEVs) and 6.5% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). These examine with YoY figures of 27.6% mixed, 20.4% BEV and seven.2% PHEV.

Wanting extra broadly on the cumulative year-to-date efficiency, mixed plugin share now stands at 24.3%, with 18.2% BEV, and 6.1% PHEV. The equal market shares at this level in 2024 had been 25.0%, with 17.1% BEV and seven.8% PHEV.

We are able to see that while BEVs have grown marginally (including 1.1% market share), PHEV share has diminished extra (shedding 1.7%), resulting in a mixed deficit of 0.7% – not an awesome end result. Nonetheless, though BEVs had been down YoY throughout H1, they’ve had a modest flip round in Q3, promoting 67,978 models, up by 16.3% in comparison with Q3 2024.

What elements at the moment are in play, and the way will they form the rest of the 12 months? The 2025 “Social Leasing” programme is now in impact (from thirtieth September), with as much as 50,000 automobile leasing contracts capable of get leasing assist from the Authorities. Previous to this date, within the interval because it was confirmed in late June (i.e. July, August and September), some variety of BEV purchases could have been held-back. This circumstance makes the Q3 progress an honest end result.

Recall, nonetheless, that the leasing programme is intentionally slender in scope, and is thus unlikely to have a “huge” influence on the BEV market, although doubtless a noticeable one. It’s aimed completely at low-income patrons (incomes beneath €16,300 per 12 months), and the automobile should be used for commuting or skilled exercise, and canopy at the least 8,000 km per 12 months.

On the time of writing, it appears doubtless that a lot of the scheme’s 50,000 unit cap could have been exhausted in a rush of signings over the previous week or so. Word that the precise deliveries of those leased autos will come extra steadily over the following few months.

Given the extra enhance from the leasing programme, BEVs ought to finish full-year 2025 shut to twenty% share, up from close to 17% in each 2024 and 2023, and from 13% in 2022. This isn’t dramatic progress, however at the least places France again on a progress path. For context, the German market appears to be like set to finish the 12 months with BEV share round 19%, and the UK market will see BEVs finish this 12 months at near 25%.

With the remaining ICE-only gross sales additionally being shortly eroded by way of substitution by mild-hybrids and HEVs, September noticed ICE-only share hit a brand new report low of 23.7%. Petrol-only fell beneath 20% for the primary time, at 19.2% share. December ought to see mixed ICE-only falling beneath 20% of the marketplace for the primary time.

Greatest-Promoting BEV Fashions

After having been down in YoY quantity by round a 3rd in latest months, the Tesla Mannequin Y lastly made a robust comeback in September, with an enormous 4,844 models. This was its highest quantity in two years, and equated to roughly the gross sales of the following three BEV fashions mixed.

The ever-popular Renault 5 got here in second, with an honest 2,537 models, and its sibling the Renault Scenic got here third with 1,422 models.

The general line up of faces stays acquainted, with principally modest variations in relative rating in comparison with latest months.

The Skoda Elroq remains to be climbing in quantity, seeing a personal-best 954 models in September, retaining sixth spot. Now simply behind, in seventh, the brand new Renault 4 additionally hit a robust PB, with 927 models, vastly up from its earlier excessive of 539 models (June). On its present trajectory, the Renault 4 nonetheless has room for extra progress, and appears set to probably overtake the Elroq within the coming months.

Additional again, the Hyundai Inster additionally stored rising, hitting a brand new excessive of 557 models (up from 448 in August), and taking sixteenth spot. The BYD Dolphin Surf remains to be staying within the wings for now, not being seen within the prime 20 since its preliminary splash again in Could.

European manufacturing of the Dolphin Surf (in Hungary) will start in early 2026, doubtless re-opening BYD’s eligibility for French incentives and avoiding some EU tariffs. It might be that BYD is ready for this European manufacturing earlier than making a quantity push in France.

BEV fashions with MSRPs beginning beneath €30,000 (and beneath €25,000 in some circumstances) are shortly approaching half of all BEV gross sales, simply as small-and-simple vehicles have historically dominated the general French auto market.

As standard, mannequin gross sales information is proscribed for the French market (to roughly the highest 20 solely), stopping us from detecting low-volume debuts of newer BEV fashions. Preserve a watch out for the reviews from adjoining markets, to get a way of what new fashions are arriving.

Let’s now flip to the 3-month rankings:

We are able to see that the Mannequin Y has retaken the lead over the Renault 5, which led final month’s trailing-3 chart. Due to the sturdy September, the Mannequin Y elevated its quantity by 62% over the prior interval (Q2), when the Renault 5 dominated.

The largest total climbers are the Renault 4, and the Hyundai Inster. The Renault 4 had solely simply debuted within the Q2 interval, and ranked twenty second, with beneath a thousand models bought. In Q3 it shifted 1,791 models, and climbed to tenth. It nonetheless has room to develop.

Likewise, the Hyundai Inster had barely debuted again in Q2, with solely low a whole lot of models bought, nicely exterior the highest 20. In Q3 it gained 1,341 gross sales, and climbed to thirteenth spot.

Each these two fashions, in addition to many different small-and-affordable BEVs, will get an extra enhance from the Social Leasing Programme within the coming months.

Outlook

Following on from the primary month of optimistic auto market progress in August, September was the second time this 12 months when the general auto market was not destructive (although 0.8% YoY progress is barely barely optimistic).

The broader macroeconomy displays this lack of vitality, with newest Q2 2025 information exhibiting 0.8% YoY GDP progressfollowing the weak spot in Q1 2025 and This autumn 2024. Headline inflation elevated to 1.2% in September, from 0.9% in August. ECB rates of interest are nonetheless 2.15% (regular since early June). Manufacturing PMI dropped steeply, to 48.0 factors in September, from a short-lived blip of fifty.2 factors in August.

France’s political management stays unpopular, with Macron at an approval ranking of simply 17% in response to latest pollinghowever refusing to name contemporary elections, and e.g. failing to talk up with any conviction concerning the genocide in Gaza, in response to his political opposition, resulting in widespread avenue protests. None of that is serving to France’s confidence concerning the future, prospects of financial sentiment enhancing, nor the nation’s preparedness to embrace adjustments just like the adoption of EVs.

What are your ideas about France’s auto market and the transition to EVs? Which fashions have you ever received  your eye on as they climb the ranks? Please share your ideas and views within the feedback under.