Cars: Green car registrations dip 3.2% this May

 Romania's green car registrations (all-electric, mild-hybrid and full hybrid) dropped 3.2% in May this year from the year-ago period, shows data provided by the Driving Licences and Vehicle Registration Directorate General (DGPCI) processed by the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA).The market share of this category of cars reached 55.3%.Full electric cars accounted for a market share of 4.1% in May 2025, compared to 4.9% in the same month of the previous year, while plug-in hybrids have a market share of 6.4% vs 2.6%.In the first five months of this year, the top three best-selling 100% electric cars are: Dacia Spring - with 1,116 units (down 40% compared to the same period of the previous year), Tesla Model 3 - with 185 units, and Tesla Model Y (148).On the plug-in segment, the top positions in the sales ranking are held by Ford Kuga (257 units, +20%), Volkswagen Golf (194) and Mercedes Benz GLC (164).In the category of hybrid cars (that don't need to be plugged in to charge), the best selling models as of the end of May were Dacia Duster with 1,401 units, followed by Toyota Corolla (1,284) and Toyota RAV4 - with 1,118 units.In the "electrified" vehicles category, mild-hybrids saw a 6.5% decrease and a 27.5% share, full-hybrids (FHEV) registered a 4.1% increase and a 17.3% market share, plug-in hybrids (PHEV) recorded a 63% jump and a 6.4% market share, and pure-electric cars (BEVs) saw a 42.5% decrease and a 4.1% market share.Official data reveals that in May 2025, sales of passenger cars (which account for approximately 82% of the total market) amounted to 10,456 units, 32.4% less than in the same month of 2024.In terms of market share, the SUVs hold the top spot with 54.4% of the total (-21.5%), followed by Class C vehicles with a share of 26.1% (-41.9%) and Class B vehicles - with a share of 12.9%, down 45.2% compared to May last year.Depending on the fuel type of the registered cars, in May 2025, gasoline-powered cars recorded a decrease of 51.1% to a share of 34.7%, while diesel engines recorded a decline of 50.2% to 9.8%.At the same time, cars equipped with mild-hybrid engines recorded a decrease of 6.6% to a share of 27.5% of the total car market. Of the total mild-hybrid engines, 89% are gasoline engines, and only 11% are diesel engines, specifies APIA.The category of light commercial vehicles and minibuses recorded a combined decrease of 18% in May 2025 compared to May 2024, of which light commercial vehicles - minibuses excluded - dropped 19.3%.On the other hand, sales of electric light commercial vehicles stood at 305 units in the first five months of 2025, compared to 270 units in the same period last year.In the reporting period, heavy commercial vehicles and buses advanced 20.4%, with sales of 16+ tonne heavy commercial vehicles and tractors increasing 18.5%.