The French plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) passenger car market ushered in 3,099 registrations in May, up just 4% year over year (YoY). Fully electric models (BEVs) grew slightly faster than plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) — BEVs +5%, PHEVs +2% — which is something that hadn’t been happening in recent months.
The 2018 PEV share remained stable at 1.8%, with BEVs alone having 1.3% share.
Looking at May best sellers, the Zoe collected another win, but registrations were down (-12%) compared to the same month last year, something that the runner-up Nissan LEAF can’t really complain about. Due to the new generation, the Japanese hatchback scored 375 deliveries, up 40% YoY.
A new face popped into the monthly top 5 as well. The Volvo XC60 PHEV ended in 4th thanks to 113 registrations.
| EV Model | Sales | |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,085 |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf | 331 |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 204 |
| 4 | Volvo XC60 PHEV | 113 |
| 5 | Mercedes GLC350e | 108 |
In a market known for its stability, the only other top 10 change was the Volvo XC90 PHEV climbing one position to #8, thanks to 100 deliveries, and getting dangerously close to the #6 Kia Soul EV. Will we see two Volvos in the top 6?
But it’s in the second half of the rankings that the fun stuff happens. First of all, the Tesla Model S jumped 4 places, to #12, thanks to 63 deliveries (the same as last year’s May). The BMW X5 PHEV did even better, leaping 5 places, from #18 to #13, while scoring 82 sales, the model’s best result ever.
The VW Golf GTE rejoined the top 20, landing in #19, thanks to 46 registrations (its best result of the year). A telling change happened in #14, with the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV surpassing its BEV sibling, which seems to confirm rumours that the Korean brand dealerships are trying to divert prospective Ioniq BEV buyers into the PHEV version as Hyundai tries to prioritize the lower kWh versions. (1 BEV battery has as much kWh of capacity as 3 PHEVs, allowing Hyundai to triple the number of Ioniqs it sells when its battery supply is limited, as it’s reported to be. And that means more profit, of course).
In the brand ranking, French Renault (36%) continues in France’s driver’s seat, followed at a distance by BMW (12%, up 1%) and Nissan (11%).
| EV Model | May | YTD | YTD EV Market Share | |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,085 | 6,079 | 36% |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf | 331 | 1,779 | 11% |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 204 | 1,076 | 6% |
| 4 | Mercedes GLC350e | 108 | 573 | 3% |
| 5 | Volvo XC60 PHEV | 113 | 519 | 3% |
| 6 | Kia Soul EV | 51 | 389 | 2% |
| 7 | Smart Fortwo ED | 68 | 384 | 2% |
| 8 | Volvo XC90 PHEV | 100 | 375 | 2% |
| 9 | VW Passat GTE | 80 | 363 | 2% |
| 10 | Porsche Panamera PHEV | 65 | 332 | 2% |
| 11 | Peugeot iOn | 63 | 317 | 2% |
| 12 | Tesla Model S | 63 | 295 | 2% |
| 13 | BMW X5 PHEV | 82 | 278 | 2% |
| 14 | Hyundai Ioniq PHEV | 36 | 271 | 2% |
| 15 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 20 | 264 | 2% |
| 16 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 8 | 261 | 2% |
| 17 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 12 | 254 | 2% |
| 18 | Peugeot Partner Tepee EV | 8 | 218 | 1% |
| 19 | VW Golf GTE | 46 | 214 | 1% |
| 20 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 41 | 213 | 1% |
| Others | 515 | 2,373 | 14% | |
| TOTAL | 3,099 | 16,827 | 100% |
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