French EV Sales Up 34% In May 2019
The French plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market scored 4,051 registrations in May, up 34% year over year (YoY), with fully electric cars (+36%) growing faster than plug-in hybrids (30%). All-electric cars (BEVs) represented 71% of all plug-in sales.
This growth is even more significant when we realize that the overall auto market remained stagnant (+1%). This result placed the 2019 PEV share (so far) at 2.5%, with BEVs alone having 1.8% share.
Looking at last month’s best sellers, Renault Zoe’s sales were up 23%, hitting 1,331 units, an impressive performance. This is especially notable considering the heavily revised Zoe Neo is just a couple of months away, as are the electric versions of the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa, while the much hyped VW ID.3 is not that far away either.
Elsewhere, the Tesla Model 3 recovered its natural place in the French market, the runner-up spot, with 321 deliveries, but what people really want to know is — will the Tesla sports sedan be able to reach another 1,000+/month performance in June or were the 1,153 units of March a freak event? Discuss.
While others go up, others come down, and the previous #2, the Nissan Leaf, dropped to 4th. The Japanese hatchback desperately needs a shot of success from the 62 kWh version, or else the Nissan model will just fade away as the New Kids on the Block (see the note two paragraphs above) land and remove it from a top 5 spot.
Finally, the BMW i3 closed out the top 5 in May thanks to 160 deliveries, with the German hot hatch career proving to be as rust-free over time as its carbon-fiber body.
| Rank | Model | May Sales |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,331 |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 321 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 223 |
| 4 | Nissan Leaf | 172 |
| 5 | BMW i3 | 160 |
In a market known for its stability, this time there were actually a number of changes, even if there was none at the top. The main news was the BMW i3 climbing to #6, putting 5 BEVs in the top 6 positions. Holding on strong, the Outlander PHEV is once again the only PHEV able to sell at the same pace of the best selling BEVs in Europe.
Interestingly, the remaining changes only benefited PHEVs, with the biggest climber being the Kia Niro PHEV, which jumped to #13, in another good month for the Korean brands, which was also highlighted by the 77 deliveries of the #19 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, its best result in over a year.
On the second half of the ranking, the BMW 225xe Active Tourer was up one spot, to #16, while the Mercedes-Benz E300e/de twins keep on climbing up the steps, up one position to #17. A good sign for the Mercedes EQC? Well, I would say that the success of the new fully electric Mercedes will depend more on the German automaker’s ability (willingness?) to produce the SUUV in volume. Demand should be fairly strong.
A final mention goes out to the most surprising result of the month, the Porsche Panamera PHEV scoring 102 registrations in May, a performance that is especially surprising since the all-electric Taycan is just a few months away.
| Rank | Model | May | 2019 | 2019 EV Market Share |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,331 | 7,032 | 30% |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 321 | 2,126 | 9% |
| 3 | Nissan Leaf | 172 | 1,641 | 7% |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 223 | 1,183 | 5% |
| 5 | Kia Niro EV | 152 | 1,092 | 5% |
| 6 | BMW i3 | 160 | 1,010 | 4% |
| 7 | Volvo XC60 PHEV | 82 | 950 | 4% |
| 8 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 156 | 788 | 3% |
| 9 | Smart Fortwo ED | 78 | 685 | 3% |
| 10 | Volvo XC90 PHEV | 117 | 681 | 3% |
| 11 | Hyundai Kona EV | 141 | 669 | 3% |
| 12 | LR Range Rover Sport PHEV | 102 | 571 | 2% |
| 13 | Kia Niro PHEV | 112 | 389 | 2% |
| 14 | LR Range Rover PHEV | 60 | 382 | 2% |
| 15 | Peugeot iOn | 32 | 318 | 1% |
| 16 | BMW 225xe Act. Tourer | 72 | 300 | 1% |
| 17 | Mercedes E300e/de | 65 | 292 | 1% |
| 18 | Citroen C-Zero | 58 | 286 | 1% |
| 19 | Hyundai Ioniq PHEV | 77 | 271 | 1% |
| 20 | VW e-Golf | 28 | 219 | 1% |
| + | Others | 512 | 2,213 | 10% |
| = | TOTAL | 4,051 | 23,098 | 100% |
In the brand ranking, Renault (30%), continues in the leading position, while Tesla (10%) is in the 2nd spot. Volvo, Nissan (both with 8%), and Kia (7%) are meanwhile in a tight race for the podium.
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