European car sales moved higher in April, supported by continued strong demand for electric and hybrid vehicles, while Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) strengthened its recovery across the region and Chinese automakers expanded their market presence despite rising trade tensions.
New passenger car registrations across the European Union increased 5.1% year-on-year in April to 972,314 units, according to figures published Tuesday by ACEA. Sales of battery-electric vehicles recorded particularly strong momentum, surging 37.7% compared with the same month last year and significantly outperforming the broader market.
Tesla continued to rebound in Europe, with April registrations rising 67.2% year-on-year to 9,169 vehicles. The company’s market share increased to 0.9%, up from 0.6% a year earlier, suggesting the U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer may be regaining traction following an extended period of weaker performance in the region.
Chinese carmakers also delivered robust growth during the month. BYD Co (USOTC:BYDDY) more than doubled its EU sales in April, while registrations for Chery Automobile (USOTC:CRAUY) nearly quadrupled. SAIC Motor, which owns the MG brand, reported a 24.6% increase in monthly sales.
Across the first four months of 2026, total EU car registrations rose 4.2%, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for 19.7% of all sales, compared with 15.3% during the same period last year.
Tesla’s sales between January and April climbed 61.7%, while BYD recorded an even stronger increase of 152.9%.
