Large electric cars outnumber smaller BEVs by 3 to 2

Just 17% of electric cars sold in Europe are compact vehicles in the cheaper B segment, compared to 37% of new combustion engines, according to new analysis from Transport and Environment (T&E).

It says that carmakers are slowing electric vehicle (EV) adoption by prioritising sales of larger, more expensive electric cars.

Only 40 fully electric models were launched in the compact segments (A and B) between 2018 and 2023 compared to 66 large and luxury models (D and E), according to the report.

In Europe, more than a quarter (28%) of electric sales are in the large car D segment, compared to just 13% of new combustion cars, according to T&E’s analysis of 2023 sales figures from Dataforce.

Furthermore, it says that the average price of a battery electric car in Europe has increased by 39% (£15k) since 2015 while in China it has fallen by 53%.

Anna Krajinska, vehicle emissions manager at T&E, said: “European carmakers are holding back the mass market adoption of EVs by not bringing affordable models to consumers faster and at volume.

“The disproportionate focus of manufacturers on large SUVs and premium models means we have too few mass-market cars and too high prices.”

Of the sub-€25,000 (£21k) models carmakers have planned, only 42,000 vehicles are likely to be produced for the European market this year, claims T&E.