Car sales in Europe have rocketed, especially electric car sales. Dynamics in Europe are high and accelerating, while in Poland they are declining, and what is more, the increases on the continent are by order of magnitude higher than in Poland.

According to the European Automobile Association (ACEA), 36,177 cars (cars and minibuses) were registered in Poland in August, up 7.2 per cent year-on-year. This is less than in Belgium (36.8 thousand), and more than in the Netherlands (27.8 thousand) and Sweden (23.9 thousand). From January to August, there were 311,000 239 of such registrations, 10.8 % more year-on-year.

A comparison of the dynamics from the beginning of the year and August shows that Poles are getting more cautious about purchases and are not in a hurry to spend on cars. This is further illustrated by comparing Polish data with sales in Europe. In the EU plus EFTA and the United Kingdom, a total of 905,000 cars were registered in August, i.e. 20.7 % more year-on-year, and from January to August – 8.52 million, i.e. 17.9 % more year-on-year.

Regarding electric cars, in Europe, the sales growth rate of battery-only electric cars (BEVs) increased by a staggering 102 % year-on-year in August to 197,000. More than one in five cars registered is an electric car. Only electric hybrids were sold more – 218 000 (+28 % y-o-y).

Although the sales dynamics of battery-powered cars is also high in Poland – in August it amounted to 38.5 % year-on-year – only 1 thousand 237 such vehicles appeared on the roads. This is only every 29th newly registered car in Poland (3.4 %). A lower percentage of cars powered only by batteries is registered only in Slovakia (2.5 %) and the Czech Republic (3.2 %).

Electric hybrids, on the other hand, account for as much as 42 % of registrations in Poland (15.2 thousand in August), which is already more than petrol vehicles (14.8 thousand). Counting from the beginning of the year, petrol cars still have an advantage.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński