Auto Market: 16% of Cars Were Electric in September 2022

The share of electric cars hit a new high in France, reaching 16% in September 2022, as sales continue to rise.

Is this the turning point for the new car market in France? After many months of decline, the sector records its second month of growth in the post-Covid 19 period. After August, September saw 141,142 private vehicles sold, a +5.5% increase compared to the previous month, but still -19% compared to 2019. “It would be premature to consider these two consecutive monthly results as a sustainable return to a positive and promising dynamic,” emphasizes Julien Billon, CEO of AAA Data.

Car sales in the red in 2022, even pre-owned

However, the overall picture for 2022 remains in the red. The French auto market drops 11.8% compared to 2021 (1.11 million), and nearly one-third below 2019. This means about 530,000 fewer cars than in 2019 over the first nine months! “The market fundamentals remain fragile,” continues J. Billon, “inflation continues to impact purchasing power, and the production of new cars is expected to suffer for several more months due to the global semiconductor shortage.”

Fewer new cars also mean fewer recent used cars. “For used vehicles less than five years old, the crisis is acute, with the segment shrinking by another 25%,” specifies AAA-Data. Overall, the used car market declines by 15% to 422,669 transactions but maintains “a high volume in absolute value.”

The Top 10 Car Brands of September 2022:

1. Peugeot 23,537
2. Renault 22,244
3. Citroën 12,521
4. Dacia 12,213
5. Toyota 9,589
6. Volkswagen 7,873
7. Ford 5,188
8. Mercedes 4,665
9. Audi 4,067
10. Hyundai 3,765

Record for Electric Vehicles in France

Nevertheless, electric cars ignore this still gloomy context. They broke their market share record in September, reaching 15.9%, or 22,483 units. In volume, this remains below December 2021’s 23,172 units. The growth rate is therefore very strong, +31% year-over-year, and +435% compared to September 2019!

This allows Tesla to rank 12th among the brands, closely trailing BMW, with only two models. Details per model will still need to be confirmed. But the Renault Mégane E-Tech electric approaches 3,000 units sold, while the Dacia Spring and Tesla Model 3 surpass 2,000 units.

Electric vehicles thus surpass diesel, which is falling by -14%, representing 14% of registrations. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids struggle to gain ground (-2%). As for gasoline, this engine remains the most popular in France with 37% of registrations, ahead of hybrids (20.9%).

Also read: Budget 2023: 1.3 billion for electric cars