The French car market is off to a paradoxical start in 2026. In January, registrations of new passenger cars were down by around 6.6% compared with January 2025, with 107,157 cars sold. However, once again, the proportion of 100% electric cars is at an all-time high.
A shrinking but not uniform market
In January 2025, 118,400 new passenger cars were registered in France, more than 6% more than in the previous month. Against this backdrop of a drastic fall in EV sales, performances vary widely from one manufacturer group to another. Some groups, such as Stellantis, are limiting the decline to around 2.7% year-on-year. Conversely, the Renault group managed to post a slight increase (+1.1%), driven by the Renault brand, while Dacia fell back sharply and Alpine made marginal progress.
In Japan, Toyota had a difficult January, with registrations down by an estimated 15%. But the most striking fall concerned Tesla, whose volumes plummeted by more than 40% compared with January 2025, a sign that the American brand is no longer the leader it once was.
Electric vehicles buck the trend
While the overall market is shrinking, it is 100% electric cars that are doing well and continuing their upward momentum. In January 2026, 30,307 electric vehicles were registered in France, representing 28.3% of new car sales. An all-time record.
By way of comparison, in January 2025, EVs had a market share of around 19%. This means that in one year, the segment has grown by around 52% in terms of volume, confirming a rapid and strong change in the motoring choices of some French people, who now prefer electric to combustion-powered vehicles.
Justifiable figures
And this growth is no accident. It is the result of an unprecedented convergence between public policies, financial mechanisms and developments in industrial supply.
The first driver of this dynamic is social leasing. By enabling households to buy an electric car for less, this scheme has acted as an accelerator. Eligible models, mainly in the B segment, accounted for a significant proportion of the month’s volumes, starting with the Renault 5, which has become a symbol of this democratisation.
source : Renault
In addition to this leverage, there are increased incentives linked to energy saving certificates (CEE). When combined with the ecological bonus, CEEs can significantly reduce the remaining cost of purchasing or leasing a car.
Lastly, this increase is due to a tangible broadening of the offer in the affordable segments, long considered to be the main barrier to adoption.
Renault crushes the electric ranking
In the electric vehicle market alone, the leadership is indisputable. Renault captured around 26% of the EV market in January, with almost 7,900 registrations.
The Renault 5 electric was the best-selling electric car of the month, with 3,952 units, well ahead of the competition. It came in ahead of the Renault Scénic E-Tech (1,945) and the Peugeot e-208 (1,666). The top 10 is largely dominated by French manufacturers, confirming a recovery in the domestic market.
Tesla, on the other hand, is in sharp decline. The American brand registered just 661 vehicles in January, including 613 Model Ys and just 36 Model 3s. As a result, Tesla has fallen well behind Renault in the French electric vehicle market, a strong signal after several years of dominance.
Hybrids in the majority, combustion engines in free fall
In addition to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles continue to become the norm. In January, hybrid vehicles (all technologies combined) accounted for 52.3% of registrations, up by more than three points over one year.
Conversely, traditional combustion engines continue to decline. Petrol’s market share has fallen to 14.3%, while diesel’s has plummeted to 2.4%, with volumes down by almost 50% year-on-year for both fuels.
A pivotal month for electromobility
In a generally ailing market, electric vehicles now appear to be the only engine for growth, driven by a more accessible range and targeted public schemes.
Whether or not the coming months will confirm this trend, one thing is certain: the EV segment is, as of January 2026, a central pillar of the French car market.
