The Alliance Shines In France — #CleanTechnica Electric Car Sales Report
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The French plug-in electric passenger car market registered 3,888 registrations in October, with all-electric models growing fast (+60%), while plug-in hybrids remained in a post-NEDC hangover (down 2%) — year to date (YTD), though, PHEVs are still jumping 35% year over year (YoY).
The 2018 plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) share climbed to 1.9% by the end of the month, with fully electric vehicles (BEVs) alone having 1.4% share (+0.1%). October results were above average, with BEVs (1.7% share) pulling the PEV market to 2.2%.
Looking at last month’s best sellers, we can see why all-electrics are riding a blue wave. The Zoe jumped to 1,745 registrations, up 125% compared to the same month last year, while its Alliance relative, the Nissan Leaf, scored 410 deliveries, up 75% YoY.
Ending a trifecta of good results for the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was #4, with 167 deliveries, the model’s best performance since 2015.
| Ranking | PEV Model | October Sales |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,745 |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf | 410 |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 173 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 167 |
| 5 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 145 |
In a market known for its stability in the top spots, there are a number of interesting duels for the year through October, the most important being for the Best Selling PHEV trophy, with the #5 Mini Countryman PHEV and the #4 Volvo XC60 PHEV separated by just 5 units. With both plug-in hybrids selling in volume, a rarity in current times, it is hard to imagine who will win the race, but whoever wins, it will be a first, as none of the competitors had ever been among the trophy winners.
Both the #7 Smart Fortwo ED and #8 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV are set to surpass the #6 Mercedes GLC350e soon. Below the top 10, we clearly see the BEVs having good moment, with 4 all-electric models climbing positions. The veteran Peugeot iOn jumped two positions, to #11, and its Citroen twin brother, the C-Zero, climbed to #19. The Korean BEVs also had reasons to smile, with the Kia Soul EV jumping two positions to #14 and the Hyundai Ioniq Electric climbing to #18.
Finally, the Jaguar I-PACE deliveries started in significant volumes, with 40 units being registered last month.
In the brands ranking, Renault (36%) continues in the leading position, followed at a large distance by #2 Nissan (11%) and #3 BMW (10%, down 1%).
| Ranking | PEV Model | October | YTD | YTD Market Share |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,745 | 12,585 | 36% |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf | 410 | 3,801 | 11% |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 173 | 1,979 | 6% |
| 4 | Volvo XC60 PHEV | 134 | 1,029 | 3% |
| 5 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 145 | 1,024 | 3% |
| 6 | Mercedes GLC350e | 22 | 875 | 3% |
| 7 | Smart Fortwo ED | 108 | 806 | 2% |
| 8 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 167 | 791 | 2% |
| 9 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 111 | 735 | 2% |
| 10 | Volvo XC90 PHEV | 73 | 705 | 2% |
| 11 | Peugeot iOn | 68 | 673 | 2% |
| 12 | VW Golf GTE | 23 | 641 | 2% |
| 13 | Porsche Panamera PHEV | 15 | 632 | 2% |
| 14 | Kia Soul EV | 47 | 592 | 2% |
| 15 | Tesla Model S | 23 | 587 | 2% |
| 16 | VW Passat GTE | 14 | 576 | 2% |
| 17 | Porsche Cayenne PHEV | 13 | 524 | 1% |
| 18 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 55 | 473 | 1% |
| 19 | Citroen C-Zero | 54 | 469 | 1% |
| 20 | Hyundai Ioniq PHEV | 25 | 460 | 1% |
| 21+ | Others | 463 | 5,017 | 14% |
| — | TOTAL | 3,888 | 34,974 | 100% |
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