Electric vehicles accounted for 41% of registrations in October 2026. In total, France logged 149,341 passenger-car registrations. The trend toward electric propulsion in the French car fleet continues.
A trend that stretches over time
Since the start of the war in the Middle East, the market share of electric cars in France has only increased. October 2026 confirms this trend with a 7% rise compared with September 2026, according to figures published by AAA Data.
In total, France registered 149,341 passenger-car registrations. Electric cars thus represent 41% of sales, versus 49% of sales for plug-in hybrid propulsion.
Hybridization remains the preferred powertrain for the French. Full hybrids account for 28,143 registrations, micro-hybrids for 25,707, and plug-in hybrids for 10,503.
Marie-Laure Nivot, Head of automotive market analysis at AAA DATA explains: “October 2026 once again confirms the deep transformation of the automotive energy mix: in one year, the share of market for new electric cars rises from 24% to 41%, illustrating the acceleration of the transition to electric. Despite the arrival of new, competitive and seasoned entrants, as highlighted by the Auto Show, traditional manufacturers remain attractive thanks to models that meet buyers’ expectations.”
Which manufacturers are faring best?
In the electric-car segment, some models are enjoying greater success than others. This is the case for the Renault Twingo IV. The French city car leads the ranking with 4,747 registrations, followed by the Renault 5 with 4,666 and the Peugeot 208 II with 3,221. The rest of the top five is completed by the Renault Scenic V with 3,037 units and the Citroën E-C3 with 2,736 units. A rising trend for electric cars that can be explained by the Middle East war and the rise in fuel prices, but also by the implementation of purchase subsidies. For households with the tightest budgets, this subsidy can go up to 5,700 euros.
On the hybrid-vehicle sales side, the best performance goes to BYD. The Chinese company occupies 4 of the top 5 spots in the ranking. ATTO 2 posts 2,116 units, ahead of the SEAL U with 636 and the SEALION 5 with 588. The DOLPHIN G records 499 units. In second place in the ranking, we find the JAECOO 7 with 666 units.
Irony of ironies, a few days ago Europe reached an agreement with China to limit the importation of hybrid cars to 350,000 per year.
