EV Transition Check: Measuring Progress Towards Zero-Emission for Passenger Cars in the European Union (ICCT)

Summary

• EU CO2 standards include a 55% fleet-wide reduction target for new passenger cars by 2030 and a 100% reduction target by 2035, with an averaging provision added in May 2025 for 2025-2027.p.3
• BEVs made up 17% of new car and van sales in Europe in the first half of 2025, the highest level recorded to date.p.11
• Fleet-average CO2 emissions would be about 134 g/km without electric vehicles instead of 103 g/km.p.12
• On average, manufacturers are currently 9 g/km (about 9%) away from the fleet-average CO2 target for the 2025-2027 period.p.13
• BEVs are the cheapest powertrain to operate in the EU, with an estimated average electricity cost of €7.43 per 100 kilometers driven.p.17
• Lithium-ion battery pack prices declined by about 84% within the past 10 years to a global average of $115 per kilowatt-hour in 2024.p.19
• With over 1 million public chargers, the European Union is equipped to support EVs currently on the road.p.7

Key insights

1. Since their introduction in 2009, official type-approval emissions of new passenger cars decreased by about 42%, or about 4.7 g/km per year on average.p.10
2. In the first half of 2025, the year-to-date CO2 level decreased by 8 g/km compared with the first half of 2024.p.10
3. Three manufacturer pools, accounting for 19% of all new car sales in the first half of 2025, are already below or close to their 2025-2027 CO2 targets.p.13
4. BMW had the highest BEV share at 25%, followed by Mercedes-Volvo-Polestar (23%) and Kia (20%).p.15
5. In Spain, BEV registrations were 83% higher in the first half of 2025 than in the first half of 2024, and in Italy they were up 29%.p.14
6. Germany and France accounted for 27% and 16% of the EU BEV market, respectively.p.14
7. Norway had a BEV share of 94% of new registrations.p.4
8. In July 2025, ad hoc energy rates across the EU averaged €0.49/kWh for AC charging and €0.63/kWh for DC charging.p.18
9. Average battery pack prices in 2024 were $94 per kilowatt-hour in China, compared with $139 in Europe.p.19
10. Battery pack prices currently account for 30%-40% of total average EV acquisition costs.p.19