Hybrid car sales surge in Europe, highlighting the need for renewable liquid fuels

The latest data from the European automobile industry once again confirm the continued importance of renewable ethanol, the most effective way to reduce emissions from the hybrid and petrol cars that EU motorists prefer.

Hybrid vehicles remain the number-one category of new-car sales, according to ACEA, representing 34.8% of new car sales in the first half of 2025 and they are “the preferred choice among EU consumers.” Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which also run partly on liquid fuel, are also still growing and these cars now represent 8.4% of the EU market.

Petrol and hybrid cars together make up more than 71% of new cars. These vehicles will be on the roads for a long time, and the most immediate and cost-effective way to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions is with renewable ethanol.

While sales of battery-electric vehicles have increased as well, they still represent just 15.6% of new EU car registrations.

The need for a more flexible and pragmatic EU approach to de-fossilising road transport has never been clearer. Even beyond 2035, renewable fuels such as ethanol have an important role to play.