The European market is transforming at great speed. Although countries like Spain are still lagging, the old continent is strongly embracing electric mobility. The best example is found in France, where last September more electric cars were sold than diesel.
This is especially shocking if we take into account that France was until recently one of the main strongholds of this type of mechanics: in the private channel, diesel models came to exceed 70% share, in part because the two large national manufacturers (PSA and Renault) bet for years on this technology.
In September 2022, almost 22,500 electric cars were registered in the neighboring country, while diesel cars remained at 20,316 units. The 16% share achieved by zero-emission models is the highest to date, although it is expected that it will be surpassed as new proposals arrive, such as the renewed Peugeot e-208 or the affordable Citroën ë-C3 and Renault 5, scheduled for 2024.
The Renault Megane E-TECH was the best-selling electric car in France for the third consecutive month. With 2,897 units, the French compact remained at a certain distance from the Tesla Model 3 and its 2,202 copies even though the American firm usually concentrates the bulk of its deliveries at the end of each quarter.
France prefers domestic electric cars
Behind are the Dacia Spring (2,202 units), Peugeot e-208 (2,129 units), Renault Twingo E-TECH (1,387 units), FIAT 500 (1,269 units), Tesla Model Y (1,261 units), Renault ZOE (1,118 units). units), Peugeot e-2008 (867 units) and Volkswagen ID.3 (632 units).
However, in the aggregate for the entire year, the Peugeot e-208 (14,111 units) continues to lead, closely followed by the Dacia Spring (13,022 units) and the FIAT 500 (12,454 units). It is clear, then, that the French like small cars, since the podium is occupied by a B-segment utility vehicle and two A-segment urban vehicles.
The Renault Twingo E-TECH (10,702 units), Renault ZOE (10,634 units), and Tesla Model 3 (10,265 units) close the list. It is interesting to note that, despite having been launched last May, the Megane E-TECH has already accumulated 9,154 units sold, a meteoric rise that could be cut short by the imminent arrival of a new direct rival: the recently presented Peugeot e-tech. 308.
