New passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in first half of 2026 up 7.9% y/y

There were 25 957 new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January to June 2026, an increase of 7.9 per cent compared with the first half of 2025, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, ACEA, said on July 23.

Of the new passenger car registrations in Bulgaria in January – June 2026, a total of 17 808 were petrol cars, 4004 diesel, 2029 battery-electric, 1607  hybrid-electric and 480 plug-in  hybrid.

A total of 29 were in the category “other”, which includes fuel-cell electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, LPG, E85/ethanol, and other fuels.

Of the new passenger car registrations, those for petrol cars were down by three per cent on an annual basis, diesel up by 11.6 per cent, battery-electric up by 95.8 per cent, hybrid-electric up by 105 per cent and plug-in hybrid by 75.8 per cent, ACEA said.

ACEA said that new EU car registrations rose by 5.7 per cent year-to-date, with a strong performance in June contributing to a positive first half of 2026.

This came against a backdrop of persistent geopolitical headwinds weighing on the outlook, the association said.

The market continued to benefit from robust consumer demand for a range of electrified technologies, driven primarily by market support measures. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular powertrain choice among buyers, while battery-electric cars reached 20.7 per cent. In addition, plug-in hybrids captured 9.8 per cent of the EU market.

Up to June 2026, battery-electric cars held a 20.7 per cent share of the EU market, up from 15.6 per cent a year earlier. Hybrid-electric car registrations captured 37.3 per cent of the market, remaining the preferred choice among consumers in the EU. At the same time, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 29.7 per cent, compared with 37.8 per cent a year earlier, ACEA said.