Interactive map – Affordability of electric cars, correlation market uptake and national income (2021 update)
As this interactive map shows, the market uptake of electrically-chargeable cars is directly correlated to a country’s national income (GDP per capita), showing that affordability remains a major barrier to consumers in the European Union.
Key observations
- Across the European Union, 10.5% of all new cars registered in 2020 were electrically-chargeable vehicles (ECVs).
- However, 10 EU member states still have an ECV market share lower than 3%.
- Countries with an ECV market share of less than 3% have an average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita below €17,000.
- Includes new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe, but also Greece.
- Electric cars only account for more than 15% of total car sales in rich countries with an average GDP of over €46,000.
- 73% of all electric car sales are concentrated in just 4 Western European countries with some of the highest GDPs.
- On the other end of the spectrum, in Cyprus only 42 electric cars were sold in 2020 (representing a market share of 0.5%).
- There is a clear split in the affordability of ECVs between Central-Eastern Europe and Western Europe, as well as a pronounced North-South divide running across the continent.
Top 5: countries with the LOWEST electric car share in the EU + GDP
- Cyprus: 0.5% – €23,580
- Lithuania: 1.1% – €17,460
- Estonia: 1.8 % – €20,440
- Croatia: 1.9% – €12,130
- Poland: 1.9% – €13,600
Top 5: countries with the HIGHEST electric car share in the EU + GDP
- Sweden: 32.2% – €45,610
- Netherlands: 25% – €45,790
- Finland: 18.1% – €42,940
- Denmark: 16.4% – €53,470
- Germany: 13.5% – €40,070
Countries with an electric car share of less than 3% have an average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita below €17,000.
Content type
Figure
Vehicle types
All vehiclesPassenger cars
