43% of the total number of cars imported into the EU in 2024 were electric or hybrid, according to figures release by Eurostat, while their share of EU exports was 28% of the total.
The figures, from the EU’s statistics agency, showed a 1 percentage point (pp) decrease for electric and hybrid imports compared with 2023, with the share of EU exports going up up 1 pp compared with the previous year.
Overall, there has been a significant increase in this trade since 2017, when the share of the total EU imports and exports of electric or hybrid cars amounted to only 8% and 2%, respectively.
The share of full electric cars in 2024 was 16% for EU car imports and 12% for exports (1% and 0.8% in 2017). Plug-in hybrid cars represented 6% of car imports last year and 5% of car exports (0.6% and 1% in 2017), and the share of non-plug-in hybrid cars was 21% for imports and 11% for exports (6% and 0.4% in 2017).
In 2024, the EU spent €42.4 billion on imports from extra-EU countries on hybrid and electric cars, a 12% decrease compared with 2023 (€48.3 billion). Exports of the same products to extra-EU countries declined to €57.3 billion, down 8% compared with 2023 (€62.5 billion).
Electric and hybrid cars almost one third of production
Of the 12.1 million cars the EU produced in 2024, almost a third were hybrid or electric cars (3.9 million), which is slightly more compared with 2023 (3.8 million). In 2024, 13% of the cars produced in the EU were electric, 6% were plug-in hybrids and 13% non-plug-in hybrids.
In terms of value, total EU production of cars was worth €322 billion in 2024, compared with €337 in the previous year.
Among electric and hybrid cars, electric cars had the highest value at €57 billion (compared with €66 billion in 2023), followed by non-plug-in hybrid cars at €36 billion (up from €34 billion in 2023) and plug-in hybrid cars at €29 billion (up from €24 billion). This was equal to a share in value of the total EU production of 18% for electric cars, 11% and 9% for non-plug-in hybrid cars and hybrid cars, respectively.
More than half of electric cars imported from China
China was the top EU import partner, with 55% of all electric car imports, followed by South Korea (16%), Japan and the United States (both 9%).
The top 3 export partners for electric cars were the United Kingdom (31%), the United States (23%) and Norway (11%).
Statistics Explained article on trade and production of hybrid and electric cars – Eurostat
Statistics Explained article on international trade in goods – a statistical picture
Thematic section on international trade in goods
Database on international trade in goods
