BEVs marketshare went up from 13.6% in 2024 to 17.4% in 2025.
Hybrids are 44% of new sales.
Petrol down from 33.3% on 2024 to 26.6% in 2025
Diesel is disappearing from passenger cars.
Tesla infamously does not provides sales numbers by regions around the world. Anyway, the registration numbers in Europe are compiled and published by the ACEA. While the BEV market share grew 28% in Europe, Tesla sales went 38% down.
Market share 2024 2.3% > 2025 1.4%
Car registrations: 2024 242’436 > 2025 150’504
% change 2024 > 2025 : 37.9%
And a literal milestone, December 2025 was the first month were more BEVs were sold than gasoline cars:
If I remember well, you mentioned once it was about long motorway driving without refueling. Hybrids have 700+ km range, some of them approaching 1’000 km. And, the electric assistance gives them the torque to accelerate from zero, even when fully loaded.
Only issue is that in long climbs for mountain passes the battery in the hybrid may not be large enough to sustain the climb above the legal speed limit. But, who does that?
It would be great if some diesels were left for the specific task of driving across a continent, but not sad about their demise. Not long ago you’d see most taxis in city centers were diesel.
I really am averse to hybrids, I’ve driven a fair few and consider them the worst of both worlds. For me the simplicity of a manual diesel hatchback is that they’re sprightly around town, capable motorway cruisers, fairly clean with particulate filtering and they last forever.
I’m thinking of something like an Audi A3 8V (circa 2015) before they ruined it with touch screens and cheap interiors.
I am still trying and failing to hate this Dacia, it is the 140ps hybrid, petrol qnd does around 1000km on a tankful, not too shabby it has the welly to go up a steep incline fully loaded without too much effort. The drive chain reacts fast and switching through the different modes is smooth.
So all in all I would be happy with it.
Approximately one in sixteen (about 6%) new cars experience a breakdown within their first year, according to data.
While modern vehicles are generally reliable, this indicates that even new cars are not immune to faults.
And
Electric Vehicles (EVs): Some studies suggest EVs may have a slightly higher, or at least comparable, breakdown rate due to specialized, complex components.
I wouldn’t argue with that, cars these days are generally too complex and once out of warranty can become a major headache.. hence my pining for older German diesels with simple mechanics, electrics and bullet proof engines.
I once bought a VW Golf 1.9 TDI (pumpe-düse) with 300,000 miles on the clock, and it was as tight as a drum. It lasted me throughout university and my first job without missing a beat, just yearly service and tyres. Those mid 90s cars were over-engineered, not like the planned obsolescence built into most new cars.
Long ago in the last century, once worked for a few months at a Peugeot garage in the States. These were the dirtiest (oil and water leaks do not mix) and most unreliable cars I ever worked on. Whenever a new one was delivered we had to test drive it to determine what was wrong. A rattle here or there was always the case. But educated people (college grads) who could not afford a Mercedes or BMW bought em for the European whatever and the diesel economy.
Anyway! The exception to the rule was the yellow ones. These were the extras left over from a series that was built specifically for the NYC cab companies. The never had any problems.
Well it only happened once, and it has only been in emergency mode a few times and they did screw the passenger side door back on free of charge.
The rubber door seals are knackered, but apart from that, its fine.
A 10 year old (Euro 6) diesel hatch with dpf and adblue is less harmful than a comparable pre-2017 petrol.
However we’re squabbling in the dirt, the best options for dense urban environments is obviously EVs or hybrids. In my case I mainly drive long distance, because around Zug and it’s environs I walk, cycle or take public transport.
I leased a used Renault Arkana hybrid a couple of months ago; it has a three-year warranty.
Not really a considered decision.
Our 15-year-old Megane needed too much expensive work to pass the compulsory test (four years after the last one), and they offered me a good deal where I did not have to part with any cash.
It runs fine, but we only average 6K km per year, so any vehicle would be adequate.
After a 15-year-old car, it is like upgrading to a spaceship.
All-round cameras and all sorts of electronic helpers.
A mid 90s car as per your original statement does certainly not have Euro 6.
Alternatively the 10 year old Euro 6 car does not have the simple engineering you pine after. Anyway both still produce massively more harmful emissions than an EV.
