Electric cars accounted for most new car registrations in Belgium for the first time. Around 53% of all newly registered cars were self-charging hybrids, plug-in hybrids or 100% electric cars.
In the first quarter of 2024, 135,140 new cars were registered in Belgium, Febiac, the Belgian automobile and cycle federation, announced. "This is the highest number recorded for this market since the pre-Covid period, but also a total close to the quarterly average of the past 10 years (140,008 units)," the organisation said in a statement.
The latest figures show electrified cars are becoming more prevalent than combustion-powered vehicles that run on fossil fuels for the first time since Febiac began publishing its statistics.
Stark regional differences
All new cars with electric powertrains combined (self-charging hybrid 'HEV', plug-in hybrid 'PHEV' or 100% electric 'BEV') dominate the market, accounting for more than 52.8% of registrations, compared with 40.9% for petrol vehicles and 5.5% for diesel engines. However, petrol remains the preferred choice of the largest number of Belgian motorists, as it has the largest market share.
Battery-electric vehicles are in second place with a 23% market share. Diesel, which historically was most popular with Belgian motorists, now accounts for 'only' 5.5% of new registrations, likely the result of stricter measures on these fossil-fuelled vehicles that are in the pipeline.
Febiac also pointed out that there are significant differences between the regions. The increase in the proportion of electrified cars is particularly marked in Brussels (+58.4% compared with the first quarter of 2023) and Flanders (+54.9%), while the figure remains stable in Wallonia.
"The first effects of the premium introduced by the Flemish Government for the purchase of electric cars (maximum €40,000) by individuals are already being felt," Febiac noted. Electric car registrations by Flemish private individuals increased by 150.4% between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
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Still, new cars registered by private individuals tend to be petrol vehicles (64.8% of registrations). On the other hand, companies and professionals have a strong preference for electrified engines due to the greening of the car fleet – from 2026 onwards, all company cars sold will have to be 'zero emission' to enjoy tax benefits.
The most registered model in Belgium and Flanders in Q1 2024 is electric, namely the Tesla Model Y. In the Walloon Region, the most popular model was the Dacia Sandero, while in the Brussels Region, it was the Volvo XC40.
