EU trade of electric and hybrid cars remains stable

In 2024, 43% of the total number of cars imported into the EU were electric or hybrid, a 1 percentage point (pp) decrease compared with 2023. At the same time, for EU exports, the share was 28% of the total in 2024, up 1 pp compared with the previous year. 

Overall, there has been a significant increase in this trade since 2017, when the share of the total EU imports and exports of electric or hybrid cars amounted to only 8% and 2%, respectively.

The share of full electric cars in 2024 was 16% for EU car imports and 12% for exports (1% and 0.8% in 2017). Plug-in hybrid cars represented 6% of car imports last year and 5% of car exports (0.6% and 1% in 2017), and the share of non-plug-in hybrid cars was 21% for imports and 11% for exports (6% and 0.4% in 2017). 

Click to enlarge

Source dataset: ds-045409

In 2024, the EU spent €42.4 billion on imports from extra-EU countries on hybrid and electric cars, a 12% decrease compared with 2023 (€48.3bn). Exports of the same products to extra-EU countries declined to €57.3bn, down 8% compared with 2023 (€62.5bn). 

Electric and hybrid cars almost one third of production

Out of the 12.1 million cars the EU produced in 2024, almost a third were hybrid or electric cars (3.9 million), which is slightly more compared with 2023 (3.8 million). In 2024, 13% of the cars produced in the EU were electric, 6% were plug-in hybrids and 13% non-plug-in hybrids.

In terms of value, the total EU production of cars was worth €322bn in 2024, compared with €337bn in the previous year. 

Among electric and hybrid cars, electric cars had the highest value at €57bn (compared with €66bn in 2023), followed by non-plug-in hybrid cars at €36 billion (up from €34bn in 2023) and plug-in hybrid cars at €29bn (up from €24bn). This was equal to a share in value of the total EU production of 18% for electric cars, 11% and 9% for non-plug-in hybrid cars and hybrid cars, respectively.  

More than half of electric cars imported from China

China was the top EU import partner, with 55% of all electric car imports, followed by South Korea (16%), Japan and the United States (both 9%). 

The top 3 export partners for electric cars were the United Kingdom (31%), the United States (23%) and Norway (11%).

Click to enlarge

Source dataset: ds-045409

For more information

• Statistics Explained article on trade and production of hybrid and electric cars
• Statistics Explained article on international trade in goods - a statistical picture
• Thematic section on international trade in goods
• Database on international trade in goods
• Thematic section on prodcom – statistics by product
• Database on prodcom – statistics by product

Methodological notes

• This news article concerns only passenger cars. 
• Combined Nomenclature products codes used:
  • Full electric: 8703 80 10, 8703 80 90 
  • Plug-in hybrid: 8703 60 10, 8703 60 90, 8703 70 00 
  • Non-plug-in hybrid: 8703 40 10, 8703 40 90, 8703 50 00 
• The prodcom product codes used:
  • Full electric: 29.10.24.50 
  • Plug-in hybrid: 29.10.24.30
  • Non-plug-in hybrid: 29.10.24.10

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