Austrian car market surges 17% in Q1 2026 as electric and hybrid demand grows

New passenger car registrations were up 17% in Austria in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2025, new data from Statistics Austria has found.

A total of 77,235 passenger cars were registered between January and March 2026, representing an increase of 11,218 vehicles. Overall motor vehicle registrations reached 100,509, an increase of 17.6%, News.Az reports, citing Europe-Data.

Hybrid and electric cars

“The 17.0% increase compared with the first quarter of the previous year is primarily due to strong demand for hybrids and electric cars, while new registrations of conventionally powered passenger cars have stagnated,” commented Manuela Lenk, director general, statistics at Statistics Austria.

Of all new passenger cars registered during the quarter, 49,075 were equipped with alternative powertrains – such as electric or hybrid vehicles – an increase of 29.5% compared with the previous year. These vehicles accounted for 63.5% of total registrations, up from 57.4% in the same period of 2025.

Petrol-hybrid vehicles recorded the largest increase, with 28,460 units registered, an increase of 42.0%. Electric vehicles also rose, with 17,347 new registrations, an increase of 22.4%. In contrast, diesel-hybrid registrations decreased 10.7%.

Registrations of conventional petrol and diesel cars totalled 28,160, showing little overall change. Within this category, petrol-powered cars increased slightly, while diesel-powered cars declined.

Businesses and public sector entities accounted for 65.8% of registrations in the first quarter of the year, while private individuals made up 34.2% of buyers. The share of private ownership was highest among petrol-hybrid vehicles, followed by petrol and electric cars.

Leading manufacturers

In terms of manufacturers, Volkswagen held the largest market share at 14.9%, followed by Škoda Auto with 11.1%. Audi (7.1%), and BMW (6.0%).also ranked among the best performing brands.

Elsewhere, new car registrations were up on the previous year for Peugeot (+45.3%), Skoda (+23.4%), VW (+22.0%), Seat (+14.7%), Audi (+13.9%), Mercedes (+11.7%), Cupra (+5.4%) and Toyota (+3.5%).

In March 2026 alone, 33,018 passenger cars were registered, 27.2% more than a year earlier.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova