New passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in Q1 2026 down 1.2% y/y

There were 11 465 new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January to March 2026, a decrease of 1.2 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, ACEA, said on April 23.

Of the new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January – March 2026, a total of 8638 were petrol cars, 1214 diesel, 747 battery-electric, 647 hybrid-electric and 214 plug-in hybrid.

Five were in the category “other”, which includes fuel-cell electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, LPG, E85/ethanol, and other fuels.

ACEA said that in Q1 2026, new EU car registrations increased by four per cent, driven largely by March’s strong performance. The market was supported by robust consumer activity bolstered by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries, the association said.

Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, while the battery-electric car market share reached 19.4 per cent. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids continued to strengthen their position, underlining the importance of a technology-neutral pathway to decarbonisation, ACEA said.

Battery-electric cars accounted for 19.4 per cent of the EU market share in Q1 2026, an increase from 15.2 per cent one year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.6 per cent of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Moreover, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 30.3 per cent, down from 38.2 per cent in Q1 2025.