VIENNA, Austria / EuroWire.IO / – Battery-electric cars outsold petrol and diesel models combined in Austria in October, as electric registrations rose 63.3% year on year to 8,434. Electric cars took 34.9% of the 24,174 new passenger cars registered in the month, official figures from Statistik Austria showed. Conventional petrol and diesel cars together reached 5,940 registrations. It was the second month in a row that electric cars beat the two combined, according to Leadersnet.
Petrol car registrations fell 37.7% to 4,044, while diesel registrations dropped 29.8% to 1,896. Petrol hybrids remained the largest category with 8,995 cars, or 37.2% of the market. A further 3,420 plug-in hybrids were registered, bringing the combined share of electric cars and plug-in hybrids to about 49%. The overall market declined by 1.2%. It was the first monthly fall in total registrations since July 2025. Diesel hybrids fell 41.6% to 805.
Peter Hanke, Austria’s Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, said the data showed a clear shift in consumer preferences. “Austria is making rapid strides towards becoming a leading country in electric vehicle adoption,” he said. Hanke added that the country was on the right path to becoming an electric car nation and should pursue it with determination. The data were compiled by Statistik Austria. Hanke’s ministry oversees transport and mobility policy.
Electric share at 27% this year
Between January and October, 265,282 new cars were registered, up 10.7% on the same period of 2025. Electric car registrations rose 39.5% to 71,606, giving them a share of about 27%. Statistik Austria’s Manuela Lenk said two-thirds of new cars registered this year had an alternative drive. Petrol hybrids led with 97,560 registrations, up 22.4%. Petrol cars fell 8% and diesel cars 15.4% over the period.
BMW led electric car registrations in October with 913, ahead of BYD with 811 and Volkswagen with 691, followed by Cupra and Leapmotor. The BYD Atto 3 was the most popular electric model with 372 registrations, followed by the BMW X3 with 349. Over the first ten months, BMW, Skoda, BYD, Tesla and Volkswagen were the leading electric brands. Chinese brands BYD and Leapmotor have gained ground in the Austrian market.
Costs push drivers towards EVs
The shift comes as motorists across Europe face higher fuel bills. EU road fuel costs are set to climb by €53 billion in 2026, adding to the appeal of electric models with lower running costs. More than 300,000 electric cars were on Austria’s roads by August, passing that milestone for the first time, according to the motoring club ÖAMTC. Electric car ownership has grown quickly in recent years.
Other European countries are adjusting their tax systems as electric cars spread. The UK, for example, has confirmed a 2028 launch for a pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles to replace lost fuel duty revenue. In Austria, electric cars still trail petrol hybrids in monthly registrations, but the gap is narrowing as more buyers switch to battery power. Plug-in hybrids made up about 14% of October registrations. The figures cover new passenger cars only.