It's time to take stock of the year 2024 for the French electric car market. The moment is not necessarily very pleasant, but it was necessary to go through it for this Watt Else editorial of January 2, 2025.
2024 ended quite chaotically for the automotive sector. The year 2025 promises to be a real crash test for manufacturers. The challenges to be met are numerous for this more than century-old industry. The electric car will inevitably once again be at the heart of the intrigue, whether in France, in Europe or around the world.
The statistics for French registrations for the past year fell on January 1: it's time to take stock in this first Watt Else editorial of 2025.
2024: the electric car roller coaster in France
When the French government plays the sorcerer's apprentice, it is never without creating a few disasters in the process. The electric car market came close to collapsing in mid-2024 because of the changes made. 2025 could suffer even more.
Active social leasing during the first weeks of the year sparked enthusiasm, with nearly 50,000 applications submitted for electric vehicles between €50 and €150 per month. The first four months of 2024 therefore exceeded the statistics of the previous year. The device appears to be a success. But, behind the one-off windfall effect for a few entry-level models, other registrations are slowing down, including at Tesla. The start of the second half thus records a monumental fall, enough to make more than one car manufacturer tremble.
The free exceptional bank card*
Finally discover a prestigious bank card: the World Elite Mastercard from Fortuneo is designed to offer you services adapted to your lifestyle and all your desires
The tightening of eligibility rules for the ecological bonus, excluding vehicles not manufactured in Europe, is not unrelated. Several popular models in 2024 have deserted the top of the ranking. The end of the year was saved by the arrival of new French products (notably ë-C3 and R5) and discounts offered by manufacturers with excess stock.
Renault vs Peugeot: a reversal of trends
Peugeot shone at the start of the year thanks to social leasing, placing the e-208 at the top of sales until November. The city car finally ended the year in second place with 23,602 registrations, behind the 28,577 copies of the Tesla Model Y.
This annual total, however, hides a much less glamorous reality at the end of the year for Peugeot: registrations of the e-208 are at their lowest in December, a level never reached for more than two years. This is not the only model from the French manufacturer to be released in December. You have to look for the Peugeot e-3008 and e-2008 in 23rd and 24th place respectively and it's even worse for e-5008 and e-308. The rest of the Stellantis group is not celebrating either, with the possible exception of the Citroën ë-C3.
Conversely, Renault started the year more modestly, but the brand has been more consistent. Mégane e-tech finished in 3rd place on the 2024 podium. Scénic, Twingo and R5 are also in the top 10 electric cars of the year. Finally, Renault 5 has something to make the group smile, because registrations of this new product have already exceeded those of the Citroën ë-C3, more affordable, but less desirable.
When the Asians drop out, the Germans take advantage
Tesla still stands out as the leader in electric cars in France, despite results much lower than last year. Discounts and financing offers allowed the Model Y to end the year on top: honor is safe.
It is the German group BMW which is ultimately the biggest surprise in the 2024 registration data. With the iX1, BMW enters the top 10 this year (in tenth place). The Volkswagen group also seems to end the year with better momentum, but there is still a long way to go.
Visible consequence of the absence of the bonus, MG no longer threatens European manufacturers at the top of the ranking. However, Chinese manufacturers have redoubled their efforts to maintain a notable presence on the French market. Difficult to say the same for Japanese or Korean manufacturers, who do not seem to have been particularly combative on electric vehicles in 2024. It remains to be seen what these brands will have in store for us for 2025.
To subscribe and receive our newsletter dedicated to electric mobility every Thursday, simply register below.
Newsletter Watt Else
You would like to receive the newsletter
Watt Else in your mailbox?
The data transmitted via this form is intended for PressTiC Numerama, in its capacity as data controller. These data are processed with your consent for the purposes of sending you by e-mail news and information relating to editorial content published on this site. You can object to these emails at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe links in each of them. For more information, you can consult our entire policy for processing your personal data.
You have a right of access, rectification, erasure, limitation, portability and opposition for legitimate reasons to personal data concerning you. To exercise one of these rights, please make your request via our dedicated rights exercise request form.
