Sales of sub-€25,000 electric car models set to rise sevenfold

European electric-car availability and sales are accelerating: models with a starting price below €25,000 are projected to sell seven times more in 2026 than in 2024 as manufacturers launch nearly 40 new electric models in the first half of 2026 and more than 150 mass-market BEVs are now on offer. About 60 further models are expected by year-end, and the count of sub-€25k models has doubled, demonstrating sustained consumer demand for smaller affordable EVs (VW’s ID. Polo drew over 40,000 orders and a ten-month waitlist). BEV sales reached 1.64 million from January to August 2026, up 45% year-on-year, and BEVs achieved a 22% market share in Q2 2026, outselling pure petrol cars across a full quarter for the first time.

The expansion is credited to binding EU car CO2 targets for 2025-27, which created incentives to introduce affordable models after a period of flat targets in 2021-24. Electric cars also lower running costs and reduce exposure to oil-price shocks that have cost EU road users an estimated €53 billion; switching earlier would have saved drivers roughly €350 in running costs by mid-September. Weakening the 2030-35 targets would cut affordable models by nearly three-quarters, undermine European automakers’ global competitiveness and lock millions into continued oil dependency.