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New-car registrations in France took a dive final month, with practically each powertrain seeing declines, apart from hybrids. Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus breaks down the numbers behind the downturn.
With 123,918 items delivered in Might, the French new-car market fell by 12.3% 12 months on 12 months. That is in keeping with Autovista24’s newest calculations primarily based on knowledge revealed by automotive trade physique the PFA.
Regardless of having the identical variety of working days as Might 2024, registrations dropped by 17,378 items, extending the market’s ongoing downward development. Based on AAA Information, the first purpose for this sharp drop was the non-public channel.
Nevertheless, fleet registration additionally fell by 18% as carmakers turned to tactical gross sales channels to help volumes. This contains strategies comparable to supplier self-registrations, short-term fleet leases and demonstration automobiles.
Deliveries have fallen each month of the 12 months to date. Registrations have been down by 6.2% in January, 0.7% in February, 14.5% in March, and 5.6% in April.
These consecutive months of decline led to an 8.2% drop in year-to-date registrations. Between January and Might, 672,700 new vehicles have been delivered. This implies 60,477 fewer items hit the highway in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months.
‘Virtually all indicators are within the crimson for the month of Might,’ detailed Marie-Laure Nivot, head of automotive market evaluation at AAA DATA.
‘We don’t count on a restoration within the registration development within the coming months. Modifications in public coverage have made consumers cautious, and opportunists are ready for the electrical leasing introduced for September.’
AAA Information highlighted that non-public consumers are turning away from electrical vehicles, with registrations on this channel dropping by 58%. In the meantime, fleet purchases of battery-electric automobiles (BEVs) elevated by 19%. Nevertheless, this nonetheless proved inadequate.
In an upcoming research, AAA Information will reveal how producers’ choices are nonetheless dominated by petrol. The gasoline kind accounted for 221 fashions and 635 completely different variations final 12 months, far exceeding the variety of electrical automobile (EV) choices.
This displays the transitional stability between industrial dynamics and broader decarbonisation targets. It additionally reveals how product choices form the market’s efficiency.
AAA Information outlined that with slower registrations, producers are favouring methods to protect profitability and competitiveness. That is boosting larger value-added segments, comparable to SUVs, whereas slowing the disappearance of internal-combustion engines (ICE).
Moreover, altering environmental laws are rising uncertainty for carmakers and shoppers, in flip hindering electrification. Throughout the EU, carmakers can now common out fleet emissions between 2025 and 2027 to fulfill targets.
In Might, the French Nationwide Meeting additionally voted to abolish low-emission zones which block older automobiles from city centres. Nevertheless, this variation nonetheless must be confirmed by the ultimate adoption of the simplification regulation.
Amid all these problems, the French new-car market noticed a definitive winner in Might. Hybrids, together with full and delicate variations, was the one powertrain class to see registrations enhance within the month. The know-how has recorded an ideal progress streak to date this 12 months.
Recording 54,553 registrations, hybrid deliveries grew by 14.7% 12 months on 12 months. The powertrain grouping captured 44% of the market, up from its 33.7% share in Might 2024.
Within the 12 months to this point, the powertrain accounted for 44.9% of all registrations, leaping from 22.9%. Deliveries grew by 38.3% to 301,880 items.
This success displays the transitioning market. Consumers need to transfer on from pure ICE fashions however are nonetheless unsure about going totally electrical. Providing fast refilling instances and improved gasoline financial system, hybrids supply the perfect of each worlds. However with so many powertrains in decline, hybrids have been unable to have the ability to save the market alone.
BEV registrations fell by 18.8% 12 months on 12 months final month to 19,414 items. This implies all-electric vehicles have seen deliveries decline in January, February, March and Might this 12 months. The powertrain’s share of the French new-car market dropped 1.2 proportion factors (pp) to fifteen.7%.
Nevertheless, within the first 5 months of the 12 months, BEVs represented 17.8% of all new-car gross sales in France. This equated to an enchancment of 0.2pp. As registrations dropped by 7.4% to 119,475 items on this interval, this displays a wider market decline.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) noticed deliveries fall by 19.8% to eight,180 items in Might. The powertrain has but to flee double-digit declines this 12 months. This meant PHEVs made up 6.6% of the market, down 0.6pp. Throughout the 12 months to this point, the know-how noticed a supply drop of 37.4%, taking a 5.6% share, down 2.5pp.
Mixed, each powertrains noticed registrations fall by 19.1% to 27,594 items. EVs made up 22.3% of all deliveries, down 1.9pp 12 months on 12 months.
Throughout the primary 5 months of 2025, the EV share fell from 25.7% within the first 5 months of 2024 to 23.3% to date this 12 months. Registrations dropped by 16.9% on this interval, with 156,840 EVs hitting the French roads.
Combining the EV and hybrid outcomes displays an more and more electrified market. Final month the class made up practically two-thirds of all registrations. The 66.3% electrified share was up by 8.5pp from Might 2024. Registrations elevated by 0.6% to 82,147 items.
Within the 12 months to this point, deliveries have been up by 12.7%, with 458,720 electrified automobiles taking to the nation’s roads. This equated to a 68.2% share, up from 55.5% on the similar time final 12 months.
Final month the best decline was felt by ICE fashions. Diesel-powered vehicles noticed the biggest fall of any powertrain, down 39.3% to six,925 items. Its market share reached 5.6% from 8.1% in Might 2024.
Within the 12 months to this point, the gasoline kind felt an excellent larger drop, down by 43.4% to 31,752 registrations. This is because of constant declines of over 30% in each month to date in 2025. It claimed 4.7% of the market, down 3pp.
Petrol deliveries decreased by 30.2% to 30,217 items, with the know-how making up 24.4% of the French new-car market. This was down from its 30.6% share recorded in Might 2024.
Within the 12 months to this point, the gasoline kind dropped by 34.3% to 157,100 deliveries. It has but to handle a decline of lower than 27% this 12 months. This meant it held a 23.4% market share, down 9.2pp.
Mixed, the 2 powertrains accounted for 30% of the French new-car market in France in Might. Down 8.7pp. Deliveries slumped by 32.1% 12 months on 12 months to 37,142 items.
Within the 12 months to this point, the decline was extra pronounced, with registrations falling by 36.1% to 188,852 items. This meant ICE accounted for 28.1% of deliveries, down from 40.3% on the similar level final 12 months.
