New passenger car registrations in Bulgaria up 3.8% in January – April 2026

There were 16 179 new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January to April 2026, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared with January to April 2025, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, ACEA, said on May 27.

Of the new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January – April 2026, a total of 11 844 were petrol cars, 1901 diesel, 1190 battery-electric, 927 hybrid-electric and 297 plug-in hybrid.

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

ACEA said that in January to April 2026, new EU car registrations increased by 4.2 per cent, despite ongoing geopolitical factors that are heightening uncertainty and downside risks.

The market continued to benefit from strong consumer demand for a range of electrified technologies, supported 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 19.7 per cent. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids captured 9.6 per cent of the market.

Up until April 2026, battery-electric cars accounted for 19.7 per cent of the EU market, an increase from 15.3 per cent a year earlier.

Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 38.2 per cent of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. Moreover, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars declined to 30.2 per cent, down from 38.1 per cent.