Diesel Cars Are Regaining Their Popularity amid Electric Golden Era

Hungary Today 2025.04.25.

Electric cars are enjoying a boom across the EU, with companies in Hungary being encouraged to purchase them through subsidies. However, according to the latest data, the era of diesel cars has also returned to Hungary, writes Világgazdaság.

In the European Union, the number of new cars sold fell by 1.9 percent year-on-year in the first three months of this year, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for 15.2% of the market in the first quarter, up from 12 percent a year earlier, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) accounted for the largest share of the car market with 35.5%, up from 28.9% a year earlier.

The market share of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars increased from 7.4 percent in the first quarter of last year to 7.6 percent. The share of diesel cars fell from 12.8 percent to 9.5 percent, while petrol cars fell from 35.5 percent to 28.7 percent.

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Three of the four largest EU markets, which account for 63 percent of electric car registrations, achieved significant growth:

Germany (up 38.9 percent)
Belgium (up 29.9 percent)
and the Netherlands (up 7.9 percent).

However, the situation in Hungary came as something of a surprise. According to data on the ACEA website, 32,899 new cars were sold in Hungary in the first three months of this year, 3.8 percent more than a year earlier. Sales of diesel cars rose by 27.8 percent to 4,183, while petrol cars fell by 14.2 percent to 7,877. Sales of BEV cars rose by 5.2 percent to 2,408, PHEV cars fell by 21.2 percent to 1,169, while HEV cars increased by 10.8 percent to 17,082 in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

Fact

Since February last year, companies in Hungary can apply for a grant of HUF 2.8-4 million (EUR 6,800-9,700) per vehicle for the purchase of a pure electric car, van, or minibus. The green transport promotion scheme was open until the end of March. Over two-thirds of the HUF 30 billion (EUR 72.7 million) budget was put out to tender last year, half of it was contracted and nearly a fifth has already been paid out to the successful applicants. In 2024, some 4,600 companies applied for a total of nearly HUF 21 billion (EUR 50.8 million) to buy 5,400 cars. BYD was the clear winner in the brand competition.

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Via Világgazdaság, Featured photo via Pixabay