According to the data provided by NGC-Data®, the increase in the power of electricity is undeniable. In March 2022, electric car registrations increased by 27.2% to reach 13.5% market share with 19,836 units. At the same time, diesel continues to decline (-50.4% compared to March 2021) with only 21,077 units sold, in other words, a market share of only 14.3%, against 23% a year earlier. The difference between diesel and electric is therefore only 0.8 points, and it would not be surprising that the curves intersected throughout the year, marking the beginning of the definitive decline in diesel announced for this decade.
Over the first quarter of 2022 as a whole, electric vehicles achieved 11.9% market share with 43,507 registrations (+42.7%), compared to 16.5% for diesel and its 60,205 units (-44 ,1%). With 8,481 units, Tesla dominates the French electric market this first quarter, ahead of Renault (6,837 units) and Peugeot (5,197 units). Tesla Model 3, Dacia Spring and Peugeot e-208 form the winning trio.
Top 5 best selling electric cars in France at 1er quarter of 2022
- Tesla Model 3: 6636
- Dacia Primavera: 4,953
- Peugeot e-208: 3,809
- Renault Zoé: 3,577
- Fiat 500e: 3,213
READ. Automotive market. The decline continues in March 2022
Renault and Toyota dominate the hybrid
On the same downward slope, but less pronounced than for diesel, is gasoline. However, this fuel remains number 1 for passenger cars in France with 57,478 registrations registered in March (–26.1%, i.e. 39.1% market share) and 139,987 in the first quarter (–27 .2%, that is, 38.3% of the market). In second place, the non-rechargeable gasoline hybrid advances more slowly than the electric one (+6% in March, +12.7% in the three months), but it already represents 18.5% of the market in March with 27,149 units and 19.2% of market share in three months with 70,089 registrations.
It should be noted, however, that only two manufacturers represent more than half of the market for non-refillable gasoline hybrids, namely Renault (29.2% of the market) and Toyota (26.8%), which place their cars in the top 5 sales. The Renault Captur and Arkana are thus the best-selling hybrid models of the quarter, ahead of the Toyota Yaris Cross, Renault Clio and Toyota C-HR.
Top 5 best-selling hybrid cars in France at 1er quarter of 2022
- Renault Capture: 8,232
- Renault Arcana: 7,570
- Toyota Yaris Cross: 5,512
- Renault Clio: 4,692
- Toyota C-HR: 3,806
READ. All indicators of the French automotive market in March 2022
The declining PHEV
The gasoline plug-in hybrid (PHEV), on the other hand, is struggling a little harder with 11,130 units sold in March 2022 (-16.4%) and 28,109 in Q1 (-5.5%). By placing the 3008 and 308 at the top of sales, ahead of the Citroën C5 Aircross, Volvo XC40 and DS 7 Crossback, Peugeot dominates this niche with 6,247 units in the first three months. The Lion is thus ahead of several premium brands, namely Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, then DS.
On the contrary, LPG – the sixth most popular fuel in France – continues to grow with 4,479 registrations registered in the month (+31.3%) and 10,716 in the quarter (+14.6%). Dacia has scandalously mastered this technology, capturing 87.5% of the French LPG market thanks to 9,377 registrations and placing three models at the top of the sales charts: Sandero, Duster and Jogger.
The 5 main energies of the French automotive market in 1er quarter of 2022
| Energy | Volume | Market share | Evolution |
| Essence | 139,987 | 38.3% | – 27.2% |
| hybrid gasoline | 70,089 | 19.2% | 12.7% |
| Diesel | 60 205 | 16.5% | – 44.1% |
| Electric | 43,507 | 11.9% | 42.7% |
| PHEV gasoline | 28 109 | 7.7% | – 5.5% |
| Total | 365 382 | – 17.3% |