New car sales across Europe rose 13 percent to 1.38 million vehicles in June 2026, extending a recovery that saw registrations in the European Union climb 5.7 percent in the first half of the year to roughly 5.9 million units.
Chinese manufacturers led the gains, with their combined sales more than doubling year-on-year in June. SAIC's MG topped the Chinese-brand ranking at 38,640 units, narrowly ahead of BYD, while Leapmotor, Chery and Xpeng posted growth of 565, 261 and 179 percent respectively. Volkswagen remained the EU's best-selling marque with 291,366 units, up 7.3 percent.
Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 20.7 percent of all new EU registrations in the first half, with 1.2 million EVs registered, a 40.5 percent increase. Denmark led adoption, with four in five new cars being electric, while Tesla saw its June sales rise 50 percent.