French Car Market Grows 7% in October as Electric Cars Hit 41%

Electric cars lead the market

Battery-electric cars were the largest single powertrain type in France in October, at 61,958 registrations. Hybrids of all kinds, including mild, full, plug-in and range-extender versions, took 44%. Petrol registrations fell 44% and diesel 65%, leaving conventional combustion cars with 11% of the market, according to the China EV Home summary of the CCFA report. The month had 22 working days against 23 a year earlier, so the underlying growth was stronger than the headline figure.

Private buyers drive the growth

Sales to private customers rose by almost 18% and reached 57% of the market, six points more than a year earlier. Orders taken in September were up 17%, the seventh monthly rise in a row, which points to further growth in deliveries. From January to October, the French market reached 1,384,293 cars, up 4.37% on a like-for-like working-day basis.

Groups and brands

Stellantis stayed the largest group with 36,901 cars, up 2.78%, although its share slipped to 24.71% from 25.73%. Citroen grew 11.37% to 11,144 and Fiat 28.84%, while Peugeot eased 1.97% to 18,420. Renault Group fell 4.08% to 34,730 because Dacia dropped 23.83% to 8,338, even as the Renault brand rose 4.24% to 25,936 and finished first among brands. Volkswagen Group fell 14.89% to 19,370, with Audi down 29.72%, and Toyota slipped 3.06% to 9,021. BMW rose 20.24%, Kia 21.32% and Tesla 35.24% to 2,410. The BYD Atto 2 was BYD's best-seller with 2,368 registrations, and MG reached 3,974 cars.

What it means for buyers

France now has one of the most electric new-car markets in the large EU countries, and buyers who choose an EV will find wide choice from European and Chinese brands. Dacia's fall shows that cheap combustion cars are losing ground quickly. If you are buying a petrol car, check its resale prospects, because demand for them is shrinking month by month.

Read about the history of Renault or the story of Dacia, Renault's value brand.