Sales of fully electric cars in key European markets surged in the first quarter of 2026, as drivers scramble for alternatives amid rising petrol prices caused by the war in Iran.
New battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations, a proxy for sales, increased 29.4% year-over-year to nearly 560,000 in the quarter and rose 51.3% to over 240,000 in March across 15 European markets, according to data collected by the trade association E-Mobility Europe and the research firm New Automotive.
Last year, those markets accounted for 94% of all BEV sales in the European Union and European Free Trade Association. These countries all align with EU laws regulating CO2 emissions, according to the Acea auto lobby.
“March’s surge in electric car sales is one of Europe’s biggest recent gains in energy security, in a month when oil dependence has become a real vulnerability,” E-Mobility Europe secretary general Chris Heron said in a statement.
According to a joint statement, the organisations said the half-million BEVs registered in the quarter were enough to reduce oil consumption by two million barrels per year.
Europe's five largest EV markets, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland, have recorded growth of more than 40% in BEV sales so far this year.
The organisations also estimated that 21.2% of all new cars registered in the EU and EFTA in March were electric.
Similar trends can be seen in Australia.
While EV sales still only represent less than 10% of cars sold in Australia each year, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and rising fuel prices have seen them more than double from 3176 in February to 7557 in March, figures from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association show.
While sales of new EVs have slowed in the U.S., used EV sales have increased more than 20% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from Cox Automotive.
The Middle East war has also caused EV sales to jump in Asia.
This comes as the price of oil drops below US$90 per barrel, but still remains well above the $72 per barrel before the war.
The price drop was caused by Iran saying it would open the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping.
