Hybrid car sales continue to grow in Europe, highlighting importance of sustainable liquid fuels

European new-car buyers continue to favour petrol and hybrid vehicles, according to the latest figures from the EU automotive industry. As these cars will be on Europe’s roads until well beyond 2035, it’s more important than ever that renewable ethanol – which reduces GHG emissions from petrol and hybrid cars by more than 79% on average compared to fossil petrol – play a role in EU transport decarbonisation.

Sales of hybrid cars surged by 26.4% in June, according to ACEA, the European car industry association, while sales of battery electric vehicles declined by 1%. Sales of petrol cars remained stable in June, ACEA said.

Altogether, sales of petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars – which all run on liquid fuel – accounted for 70% of new car sales in June. More than ever, this underlines the importance of renewable ethanol for displacing fossil fuel in these vehicles.

Opening up to the contribution of renewable fuels as early as possible will not only help broaden the range of solution for all EU citizens and preserve affordability of mobility, but also lead to faster emission reduction.