Electric and hybrid car sales reach 2.5 percent share in Romania; See the most popular models

The share of eco-friendly cars out of total car sales in Romania reached 2.5 percent in the first seven months of the year, a significant increase over the same period in 2017. Romanians bought 2,293 such units, says the Association of Car Manufacturers and Importers of Automobiles (APIA).

According to statistics, of the total sales during January-July, 1,754 units are hybrid plug-in cars (54.5 percent up on the first seven months of the previous year) and 485 are 100 percent electric and their number is 3.2 times higher (+ 225.5 percent).

“This data obviously demonstrates the increasing interest of citizens and companies in this category of cars, which, if properly supported (including through the development of the charging infrastructure), will become more and more present in traffic, thus contributing to the reduction of pollution in large cities,” APIA officials say.

In the analyzed range, the share of new passenger cars in the total sales at the national level was 2.5 percent, while in the same period in 2017, the share was 1.8 percent. In general, 2.293 green cars were sold in Romania in the first seven months of the year, up 99.8 percent over the same period in 2017 when 1,284 unit sales were registered.

This July, 387 electric and hybrid cars were sold, down 19.3 percent compared to the previous month, when 480 new cars were sold. According to APIA, Volkswagen ranked first among the best selling 100 percent electric cars in the period January – July, with 156 units, followed by BMW (90), Smart (73), Renault (51) , Mercedes Benz (28), Kia (20), Volvo (19), Porsche (14), Mitsubishi (12) and Audi (9).

At the same time, most of the hybrid cars sold in Romania during the reference period were recorded by Volkswagen (1,526 units), BMW (67), Smart and Renault (33), Mercedes Benz (32), Kia (20), Volvo (19) and Porsche (17).

APIA statistics show that last year the share of electric and hybrid cars in the total sales of new units reached 2.2 percent with 2,811 units, up 136.7 percent over the previous year.

In mid-March this year, the Environment Ministry launched a new session of the Rabla Plus program, aimed at those who want to buy an eco-friendly car.

The ministry estimates that in 2018, Romanians will buy 2,000 electric cars through the “Rabla Plus” Program.