BRUSSELS: In 2023, the EU saw 1.5 million new battery-only electric cars hit the roads, pushing the total number to 4.5 million. This is a big jump from 2022, which had 3.0 million electric cars, marking a 48.5% increase. These figures come from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Battery-only electric cars made up 14.6% of all new car registrations in 2023. This is a significant rise in the popularity of electric vehicles. Just a few years ago, in 2018, this share was below 1%. Since then, it has grown steadily: 5.3% in 2020, 9.0% in 2021, 12.1% in 2022, and now 14.6% in 2023.

By the end of 2023, battery-only electric cars accounted for 1.7% of all passenger cars in the EU. However, the numbers vary across different countries.

In Denmark, 7.1% of all passenger cars are battery-only electric. Other countries with high percentages include Sweden (5.9%), Luxembourg (5.1%), and the Netherlands (5.0%).

On the other hand, 14 EU countries had less than 1% of their cars as battery-only electric. The lowest percentages were in Cyprus, Greece, and Poland, each with just 0.2%.

This trend shows a growing shift towards electric cars in the EU, with some countries leading the way in adopting this greener mode of transport.

Also read: WHO: Extreme heat causes over 175,000 deaths annually in Europe