New car registrations in Romania jump 22.2%, electric and hybrids on the rise

New car registrations in Romania have increased by 22.2% in the first seven months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, with "green" cars experiencing a significant jump of 36.5% and reaching a market share of 22.9%, according to data from the Association of Producers and Importers of Automobiles (APIA).

Based on official statistics cited by Economedia, the top ten brands of cars and commercial vehicles in the Romanian market after the first seven months of this year are Dacia with 29,044 units, followed by Renault (8,935 units), Toyota (6,677), Volkswagen (6,345), Ford (6,130), Skoda (6,076), Hyundai (5,554), Mercedes-Benz (5,133), Suzuki (2,770), and BMW (2,681).

The passenger car segment represents about 84% of the total market and recorded a volume of 13,431 units in July 2023, a 12% increase compared to the same month in 2022. In terms of the type of fuel used by registered cars during the reference period, gasoline-powered vehicles saw a decrease of 1.4% compared to the same period in the previous year, making up 63.9% of the market.

As for diesel-powered cars, they experienced a 1% decline year-on-year and hold a 13.1% market share. On the other hand, "electrified" cars, including fully electric (100% and plug-in hybrids), as well as full hybrids (which also have electric propulsion without external charging), reached a market share of 22.9% after the first seven months. This share exceeds diesel engines by 9.8%.

Specifically, fully electric cars hold a 10.4% market share in the first seven months of 2023, compared to 7.9% a year ago. Purchases of eco-friendly cars increased by 36.5% in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period in 2022, notably driven by a significant increase in fully electric cars (+62.7%) and plug-in hybrids (+48.8%).

In July 2023, electric cars reported an 86.4% growth compared to the same month last year, while in the first half of the year, there was a 62.7% increase compared to the previous year in this segment. Similarly, plug-in hybrid car sales reached significant volumes, increasing by 60.5% in July 2023 compared to July 2022, and by 48.8% in the first seven months compared to the same period last year.

Additionally, full hybrid car sales rose by 7.9% compared to July 2022 and by 11.5% in the first seven months of the previous year. The ranking of the top five best-selling fully electric cars is led by the Dacia Spring (4,094 units), followed by the Tesla Model Y (1,109 units), Renault Megane (586 units), Tesla Model 3 (552 units), and Volkswagen e-UP! (364 units).