Cheaper EVs are fuelling Europe’s electric car boom, and the rules behind them are up for revision
Transport and Environment counts 16 electric models under EUR 25,000 on sale by the end of this year, twice last year's number, and models the European Parliament rapporteur's version of the 2035 target as cutting sales of those cars by about three quarters by 2030.
Battery-electric sales in the EU
Battery-electric sales in the EU reached 1.64 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 45%. 16 models under EUR 25,000 are expected to be available by the end of the year, with sales projected to reach seven times their 2024 level.
That last figure is Transport and Environment’s own modelling, in a report published today.
The Debate: 2035 Targets
The argument revolves around the 2035 target. The Forza Italia member, Massimiliano Salini, who is Parliament’s rapporteur, proposes a 90% cut in emissions compared to combustion engines, while the Commission advocates for an end to combustion engines altogether. Salini's report considers vehicles running on renewable fuels as equivalent to electric ones, and lengthens the compliance period from three to five years.
Projected Market Share
Transport and Environment models the Salini version at 22% battery-electric in 2030, unchanged from today, and 39% in 2035, compared to 47% and 85% under the Commission’s proposal.
Manufacturer Landscape
European manufacturers currently supply nearly 60% of the models on sale, with Chinese brands accounting for 21%.
Compliance and Reality
Car makers have already closed three-quarters of the gap to the 2025-2027 targets halfway through the period, and all are expected to comply. Volkswagen has 7 grams of CO2 per kilometre left to achieve.
Britain, outside the EU target system, achieved 29.8% in August, compared to 28% across the EU.