EVs Take 22.3% Share In France – BYD Dolphin Surf Arrives In Showrooms

Could’s auto gross sales noticed plugin EVs take 22.3% share in France, a drop from 24.1% year-on-year. The YoY baseline was lifted by 2024’s social leasing programme, so the YoY comparability is considerably skewed. Total auto quantity was 123,919 models, down some 12% YoY. The Citroën e-C3 was the best-selling BEV in Could.

Could’s auto gross sales totals noticed mixed plugin EVs take 22.3% share in France, with 15.7% full battery-electrics (BEVs) and 6.6% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). These examine with YoY figures of 24.1% mixed, 16.9% BEV, and seven.2% PHEV.

Though the year-on-year comparability continues to make 2025’s progress seem lacklustre, and the EU fee’s latest folding on the prior 2025 emissions targets shouldn’t be serving to, there are nonetheless some vibrant spots for BEV adoption. Tesla’s new Mannequin Y has delayed quantity deliveries till June, as a result of entry variants nonetheless not but being accepted for France’s 2025 Eco-bonus eligibility (the Volvo EX30 and Hyundai Inster are additionally not but accepted). The approval remains to be anticipated (maybe throughout the subsequent week or so) and, given the Mannequin Y’s latest reputation, ought to thereafter toughen summed BEV volumes.

Maybe extra considerably for the long-run, BYD registered a good quantity (414 models) of the brand new Dolphin Surf mannequin (aka the Dolphin Mini, or Seagull in different markets), for showrooms and take a look at drives. On condition that it is a small but competent BEV which can begin at beneath €20,000, and provided that unit volumes must be comparatively unconstrained, in time the Dolphin Surf ought to give a robust increase to BEV volumes on the inexpensive finish of the market. This has traditionally been a very essential market section in France, with the latest success of the Renault 5 and Citroën e-C3 solely reinforcing the development. Extra competitors sometimes brings higher worth, and finally better quantity.

Though plugins usually are not at the moment on a very spectacular trajectory in France, no less than HEVs and mild-hybrids proceed to interchange gross sales of combustion-only autos, rushing the latter’s decline. Petrol-only gross sales misplaced 30% of quantity YoY, and had been right down to 24.4% market share. Diesel-only gross sales misplaced an excellent better 40% of quantity, with market share of 5.6%.

Greatest-Promoting BEV Fashions

Nonetheless duelling on the prime of the charts, the Citroën e-C3 and Renault 5 swapped locations in Could, with the e-C3 popping out barely forward, with each round 1,500 models. Additional again, the Renault Scenic took third, with 1,036 models.

The brand new Citroën e-C3 Aircross made nice progress over the course of a single month, climbing to a powerful 4th place (and 920 models) in Could, an enormous achieve from its sixteenth spot (495 models) in April.

Not far behind, the brand new Skoda Elroq continued to climb, from thirteenth to sixth, with quantity up from 519 to 683 models. This can be a nice end result for the brand new Skoda, and appears to consolidate its overshadowing of the older Enyaq, no less than in gross sales quantity.

As talked about earlier, the essential new BYD Dolphin Surf hit showrooms in quantity in Could, with 414 models registered. A few of these might ultimately be offered on to prospects, however this quantity despatched to showrooms means that BYD expects a vibrant future for the Surf after its industrial launch within the coming months. The entry mannequin (30.0 kWh usable) begins slightly below €20,000, although with a modest WLTP vary of 220 km (just like the Dacia Spring). The bigger battery (43.2 kWh usable), with 310 km WLTP, will probably nonetheless be priced effectively beneath €25,000 in France.

One other new face in Could was the Renault 4, the marginally larger sibling of the Renault 5, with the identical underpinnings. It’s increased priced although, beginning at slightly below €30,000 for the entry model (vs. €22,000 for the entry 5). Like its sibling, the Renault 4 has already had stellar critiques, so let’s see the way it will get on.

Regardless of patchy information, I’ve put collectively a brief trailing-quarter chief’s chart:

Though the Citroën e-C3 took the month-to-month title in Could, over the longer interval, the Renault 5 is at the moment dominant, with near twice the Citroën’s gross sales. Nevertheless, we stay comparatively early within the lifetime of each autos, with increasing market entry into new international locations nonetheless underway, and each are probably nonetheless removed from reaching a steady-state of manufacturing or gross sales quantity.

We will anticipate to see the Citroën e-C3 Aircross be a part of the highest 10 within the subsequent couple of months, and the Renault 4 maybe by the top of Q3 or early This autumn. Additional out, it’s probably that the BYD Dolphin Surf will even problem for the highest 10 by the top of this 12 months.

Outlook

The dip in Could’s auto market volumes is in tune with the latest slowdown in France’s general financial system. The newest macroeconomic information confirmed lacklustre YoY output in Q1 2025, with simply 0.6% progress, the bottom progress degree since 2020, and down from the 0.8% of 2024 This autumn.

Headline inflation stood at 0.7% in Could, with ECB rates of interest at 2.4%. Manufacturing PMI rose to 49.8 factors in Could, from 48.7 factors in April.

Nonetheless, with extra easy and inexpensive BEV fashions now taking centre stage, and extra coming on a regular basis, I really feel that momentum continues to construct for BEVs general, in France, throughout Europe, and past. What are your predictions for France’s transition for the rest of this 12 months? That are the fashions to be careful for? Please share your perspective and ideas within the remark part under.