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Europe's fastest growing electric car markets

Discover which European countries have seen the biggest increase in alternative fuel vehicles from 2010 until now.
Ben Gallizzi author headshot
Written by Ben Gallizzi, Senior Content Editor - Energy and Electric Vehicles
Updated on 19 August 2021
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A header image, showing an electric pump and standard petrol pump next to each other, with a title introducing the topic.A header image, showing an electric pump and standard petrol pump next to each other, with a title introducing the topic.

With no noise, no pollution, better acceleration, and cheaper running costs, electric cars are on the rise and set for significant growth over the coming decade. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects the number of electric vehicles on the road worldwide to reach 145 million by 2030.

Electric car sales have particularly taken off in Europe, which has overtaken China as the world’s biggest EV market. An increase in demand and strict government rules and regulations toward vehicle emissions has been behind this growth.

But which European countries have seen the biggest increase in alternative fuel vehicles between 2010 and 2020? The bubble chart below shows the top 20 countries based on those with the highest average annual growth rate.

The European countries with the biggest increase in alternative fuel vehicles

Infographic showing the European countries with the biggest increase in alternative fuel vehicles.
Infographic showing the European countries with the biggest increase in alternative fuel vehicles.

Our data reveals an average annual growth rate of 59% in electric cars in Europe between 2015 and 2020, which equates to 8x more electric cars. But where in Europe has seen the biggest increase in electric vehicles? The table below shows the countries with the highest increase in the number of electric-only vehicles between 2015 and 2020.

The European countries with the biggest increase in electric vehicles

Table showing which places in Europe have experienced the highest increase in electric vehicles.
Table showing which places in Europe have experienced the highest increase in electric vehicles.

The best-known types of alternative fuels are electric and hybrids, but there are all sorts of alternative fuel types. The bar chart below reveals the most popular alternative fuels of the past 10 years in Europe.

The most popular alternative fuels

Infographic highlighting the most popular alternative fuels of the past ten years in Europe.
Infographic highlighting the most popular alternative fuels of the past ten years in Europe.

According to the latest forecast by the investment bank UBS, by 2025 20% of all new cars sold globally will be electric. That will leap to 40% by 2030, and by 2040 virtually every new car sold globally will be electric. The question is, which country will get there first?

You can find out more about electric cars and their impact on energy bills here.

Methodology:

All data was collected from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory. The total number of AF (alternative fuel) vehicles shown for EU, UK, EFTA, Turkey show the total fleet of passenger cars per alternative fuel by year (CNG, LNG and LPG in 2019/2020 is based on extrapolated data). Electric-only vehicles include BEV and PHEV vehicles. Data correct as of 30th June 2021. All data available upon request.