Since 2017, the proportion of electric and hybrid cars in both exports and imports within the European Union has been rising steadily. By 2025, these figures had risen to 27 per cent and 37 per cent respectively, compared with 2.9 per cent and 2 per cent in 2015. The proportion of eco-friendly cars produced within the European Union is also increasing.
This is evidenced by Eurostat data.
Throughout 2025, the EU imported electric cars and hybrids worth €45.1 billion, which was 4 per cent more than the previous year’s figure of €43.4 billion. Growth was also seen in the export segment, with exports totalling €64.7 billion compared with €58.17 billion, representing a 10 per cent increase.
This trend is also evident in the quantitative figures. By the end of 2025, electric vehicles accounted for 20 per cent of imports and 18 per cent of exports. In 2017, these figures stood at 0.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.
Last year, plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 17 per cent of total imports and 9 per cent of exports. According to figures from 2017, these figures stood at 1.2 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively.
Source: Eurostat
Production trends
In 2025, EU countries produced 12.6 million cars. Of these, 4.8 million (almost 40 per cent) were hybrid or electric. This represented an increase of almost 1 million cars compared with the previous year.
The breakdown of this 40 per cent is as follows: 17 per cent — electric cars, 7 per cent — plug-in hybrids, 14 per cent — non-plug-in hybrids.
As for the cost of producing electric and hybrid cars, production in 2025 totalled €139 billion, compared with €123 billion the previous year.
Electric cars had the highest value — €68 billion, compared with €58 billion in 2024.
Import dominance
China remains the undisputed leader in electric car imports. 42 per cent of all electric cars were shipped from there to EU countries.
The top three are also made up of Asian countries — South Korea (27 per cent) and Japan (9 per cent).
The leading export destinations are quite different. Cars from the EU were exported to the UK (35 per cent), the US (14 per cent) and Norway (14 per cent).
Source: Eurostat
EcoPolitic previously reported that the proportion of electric cars in sales in Ukraine is gradually increasing, whilst petrol cars are being bought less frequently.
