ACEA data shows 185,266 plug-ins registered across Western Europe and EFTA countries during 2015, compared to 91,409 units in 2014. Excluding LPG and CNG vehicles, plug-ins accounted for 45.1% of all alternatively-powered vehicles registered across the region, up from 32.8% the previous year.

Growth was significant in the Netherlands, where company car tax advantages for plug-ins were reduced at the end of December. The resulting rush meant it became the biggest market (by volume) for plug-in vehicles, with 43,441 registered – a near three-fold increase on the 14,805 recorded in 2014. Almost one in ten (9.7%) new cars registered last year was a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle.

Booming Dutch demand pushed Norway into second place, with a total of 33,721 plug-ins registered – a 70.6% increase on 2014. Plug-ins accounted for nearly a quarter (22.4%) of the 150,686 new cars registered in Norway last year. Also noteworthy was the UK market, where plug-in registrations almost doubled (+96.6%) to 28,636 units.    

ACEA’s data groups full hybrid and mild-hybrid vehicles into a single category, which totalled 225,528 new cars last year (+20.6%). Including mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid, range-extended and full electric vehicles, the largest markets in Western Europe last year were France (78,897), the UK (72,775) and the Netherlands (59,555). In addition, 208,971 CNG and LPG vehicles were registered, most of which (183,433) were in Italy.