European new car registrations fell 18% in August, although electric vehicles continued to gain traction.

Plug-in hybrids saw sales of 44,700 units, with registrations up by 283% in August

The double-digit decline follows the 4% year-on-year drop seen in July and 24% in June and brought registrations for the month to a total of 881,897 units; the lowest number recorded for August since 2016. According to Jato Dynamics, August’s 18% decline was mostly caused by business/fleet registrations, as private registrations only fell by 4%.

The year-to-date figures from Jato Dynamics also show a similarly downbeat picture, with 7,247,341 new cars registered; down by 33% from 2019 and the lowest result over the last decade.

One saving grace in August was the rise in electrified vehicles. According to Jato data, 188,700 vehicles were registered in August, an increase of 121% compared to the same month 2019, and representing 21.4% of total registrations – a new record for the industry.

Hybrids (including mild hybrids) accounted for 49% of EV total registrations in August, with their volume increasing by 86% thanks to the mild-hybrid technology available in some Ford, Suzuki and Fiat models.

Pure electric cars saw 48,800 units registered, an increase of 111%. Growth was driven by Renault (+112%), Hyundai (+107%), Volkswagen (+97%) and Kia (+397%), with Tesla only growing by 11%.

Plug-in hybrids saw sales of 44,700 units, with registrations up by 283%. This was largely down to premium brands, accounting for 55% of their volume, and the new Ford Kuga.

SUVs also saw continued success. Four in 10 new passenger vehicles registered in August fell into the SUV category, amounting to 358,100 units. While this was down by 12%, the decrease compares to the 20%, 35%, or 44% drops posted by midsize cars, city-cars and MPVs respectively.

The model league table was once again led by the Volkswagen Golf with 22,400 units, but French carmakers also saw big success; PSA and Renault Group had six models in the top 10, leaving just four positions for Germany, compared to the usual monopoly.

Outside of the top 10, the Ford Puma secured 16th position with 11,300 units – gaining the highest market share during August. The Kia Niro, boosted by its new electric model, also recorded a huge growth of 107% year-on-year – the 29th best-selling vehicle, with 7,900 units registered.

The BMW 1 Series’ volume rose by 96%; Mercedes GLC saw an increase of 64%; Renault Zoe was up by 113% and Volvo XC40 rose by 82%.

Škoda registered almost 6,000 units of its Kamiq small SUV, and the Fiat Ducato saw its demand soar, up by 70%, becoming the best-selling van of the month.