Market Insights October 2026

Growth on Paper

Around 7.6 million new cars were registered across the 27 EU countries in the first eight months of 2026, up 5.3% on the same period in 2025. On the surface, that's a healthy market. But a growing market doesn't automatically mean growing sales for every brand. The real question is which cars, and which brands, are actually capturing that growth.

Not Every Powertrain Is Gaining Equally

Powertrain choice has shifted fast. Of registrations through August 2026, hybrids without a plug lead at 36.6%, petrol and diesel models have dropped to 29.0%, fully electric cars have reached 21.7%, and plug-in hybrids make up 10.0%.

Electric growth is strongest in France, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium, while plug-in hybrids are gaining ground fastest in Italy, Spain, and Germany. Fuel costs, tax incentives, and a wider choice of electric models all play a role, but consumers are the ones deciding what actually sells.

Not Every Brand Is Benefiting

A growing market doesn't lift every established European brand equally. Chinese manufacturers, including BYD, Chery, Geely, SAIC, and Leapmotor, are expanding their presence fast, largely by offering complete electric models with strong technology and competitive pricing. That fits a buyer who increasingly looks past the badge on the bonnet toward price, technology, range, equipment, and availability.

At the same time, plenty of European, Korean, and Japanese brands are adapting well to that same shift. Either way, the pattern holds: buyers are choosing based on the product, not the badge.

The Brand Landscape Is Shifting

Looking at where the brands selling cars in the EU actually come from, in the first eight months of 2026:

European brands still hold a clear majority. But the Chinese share is worth watching: from a limited starting position, Chinese manufacturers are reaching more European buyers every quarter. For dealers, the traditional brand landscape can no longer be taken for granted. What matters now is less about which brands sell well today, and more about which ones buyers will want next.

From Single-Brand Dealer to Multi-Brand Business

The products aren't the only thing changing. How cars reach the customer is shifting as well. As dealer groups consolidate and individual brands trim their number of sales points, an alternative model is gaining ground: the independent, multi-brand dealer.

Around 10.8 million new vehicles were sold across the EU in 2025, and an estimated 9% of those went through an independent dealer, according to a JRC/Kantar analysis. That might look like a modest slice on paper, but in a market shifting this fast, it's a genuinely useful position to be in.

An independent dealer isn't tied to a single brand. It can offer different brands, powertrains, and price points side by side, and adapt quickly the moment buyer preference moves. One customer wants a conventional hybrid today, the next wants a plug-in, and another wants an affordable, fully electric car from a brand that barely existed in Europe two years ago. Flexibility is becoming a real competitive advantage.

What This Means for You

Growth alone doesn't tell the full story here. Combustion is losing ground to electric, the list of brands worth knowing is getting longer, and more cars are changing hands through dealers who aren't tied to one badge. The businesses that come out ahead won't be the ones that know what sold well this year. They'll be the ones already stocked for what sells next year.

At Network4Cars, we track these shifts continuously, across brands and powertrains, and adjust our stock accordingly. For independent and multi-brand dealers, that means faster access to a wider range of models the moment demand moves, without having to bet on a single brand's direction.