EVs At 26.0% Share In France — Renault 5 Consolidates Lead

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August’s auto market saw plugin EVs at 26.0% share in France, up from 22.4% year on year. BEVs grew YoY volume by 1.3× and gained an additional 4% share of the market, whereas PHEVs were slightly down. Overall auto volume was 87,850 units, up some 2% YoY. The Renault 5 was France’s best-selling BEV in August.

August saw combined EVs at 26.0% share in France, with full battery electrics (BEVs) at 19.3% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) at 6.7%. These compare with YoY figures of 22.4% combined, 15.2% BEV and 7.2% PHEV.

August is a holiday month in France, so monthly auto volumes are always at the lowest point of the year. Nevertheless, in seasonal terms, August saw YoY growth in BEV volumes, and in share. August 2024, however, was a low baseline, with a slight hold-back of BEV sales, ahead of the first customer deliveries of Citroen e-C3 and Renault 5 social lease vehicles in September and October that year.

Beyond such monthly irregularities, the cumulative 2025 year-to-date market share of plugins is now 23.7% (with 17.7% BEV), down from 24.6% (16.7% BEV) at this point in 2024. This is modest growth for BEVs, and a bigger decline for PHEVs. Even the 2023 YTD plugin share was higher, at 24.3% (though, then just 15.4% for BEVs).

Meanwhile, since HEVs (and MHEVs) are growing strongly, combustion-only vehicles continue to be squeezed out. Diesel-only sales in August were under 5% market share, and petrol-only equalled their (April ‘25) record low of 20.9% share. Petrol looks set to dip under 20% before the end of this year.

Best-Selling BEV Models

The Renault 5 was once again the best-selling BEV in France, its 5th time in the top spot this year, with 1,412 units sold in August.

The Tesla Model Y came in second with 957 units sold, and the BMW iX1 had another good month, selling 743 units and taking 3rd (following its record 2nd place in July).

The Dacia Spring performed well in August, above its YTD monthly averages, with 642 units sold. Hyundai also outperformed, with both the Kona and the new Inster placing inside the top 10. This is a great result for the Inster, which only went on sale a few months ago.

The new Renault 4 also had a solid month, climbing to a record 10th place, from 12th in the previous two months.

We don’t have access to model sales outside the top 20, so, unfortunately, can’t spot debutants joining the sales rankings at lower volume — we’ll have to wait for them to enter the top 20 to become visible.

Let’s turn to the trailing 3-month chart:

The Renault 5 maintains its lead, a step ahead of the Tesla Model Y. Thanks to three strong months, the BMW iX1 has now climbed to 3rd place, up from 11th in the prior period.

The Skoda Elroq, which only arrived in decent quantity in the spring, has quickly established itself as the most popular model from Volkswagen Group, and is now in 5th position, just behind the Renault Scenic.

Further back, the new Hyundai Inster has now climbed to just outside the top 15 ranking in roughly 18th place (we don’t have enough data to be more definitive than this). This is a great result for Hyundai, and we can expect the Inster to climb further in the months ahead.

Outlook

August managed to break the year-long trend of falling YoY auto sales in France, but only by a small margin, and against a low baseline. For YTD plugin share to still be below what it was at this point in 2023 is a poor performance.

The overall French economy is still weak, with Q2 2025 data showing 0.8% YoY GDP growth, barely different from the weakness over the previous two quarters. Headline inflation was at 0.9% in August. ECB interest rates have remained at 2.15% since early June. Manufacturing PMI improved to 50.4 points in August, from 48.2 points in July.

The national debt to GDP stands at 114% in France, and is growing. The Prime Minister has recently sounded a warning, and there has been talk of the country potentially needing an IMF loan. None of this bodes well for a quick economic recovery.

What are your expectations for the French auto market over the next year or two? Please jump into the comments section to share your thoughts and perspectives.

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