Plug-In Hybrids Are Outselling Diesel Cars In Europe For The First Time

• The days of diesel cars in Europe are numbered.
• Europeans bought more plug-in hybrids than diesel cars in the first 10 months of this year.
• Diesel-powered cars are now behind gas, hybrid and electric cars.

There was a time when diesel ruled the roads in Europe. With a market share of over 50% in the 2010s, the so-called oil burners seemed like they would stick around for decades to come, thanks to their promise of delivering ridiculously high fuel efficiency and low running costs.

Well, that changed in 2015, when a little something called Dieselgate entered the chat. Long story short, Volkswagen’s cheating scandal meant that people lost trust in diesel cars. So the downfall began.

Now, the fuel that was once leading the sales charts in Europe has been thrown off the podium. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), diesel cars were outsold by plug-in hybrids in the first 10 months of 2025—a first in the region. This means oil burners are now sitting in fifth place with only 8% of the total new-car sales across the 27 European Union countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland (EFTA) and the United Kingdom.

By contrast, PHEVs now have a 9.4% market share, up 32.9% over the same period last year. At the same time, diesel car sales dropped 24.1% year-over-year.

This is the last nail in the coffin for the once-promising fuel. In 2017, gas-only cars overtook diesel in Europe. Traditional hybrids did the same in 2021, and electric cars followed. As it stands right now, hybrids are on the top spot, with 34.7% of the market, followed by gas cars with 26.9% and EVs with 18.3% in the EU+EFTA+UK region.

With emissions regulations becoming tighter and tighter, it’s not surprising that diesels are now few and far between. There was once a time in Europe when even the smallest city cars, including the tiny Smart ForTwo, were available with a diesel engine under the hood. Now, though, not so much. That’s not to say that the powertrain disappeared completely; BMW and Audi are still offering diesel engines in their new cars. But many brands are sticking to gas engines and hybrids, and PHEVs and EVs are clearly the next wave.