The Most Popular Electric Car In Europe

The UK and Europe are gradually warming to electric cars with sales continuing to grow across the continent, despite the Coronavirus pandemic. This trend will likely continue as the costs of Electric Vehicles, or EVs, fall and the range of vehicles increases. In addition, with the UK government set to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030, electric cars will be your only option in the future. 

However, the question is often what is the best electric vehicle available? With an ever-expanding choice of vehicles, it has never been more important to do your research when buying an electric car. 

To help you make an informed decision, we have taken to the hard data to find what the most popular electric car is in Europe. In addition, we have also found the most popular electric car in each European country. Take a look at our findings below to discover the most popular electric vehicle in your country. 

Europe’s Favourite Electric Cars

We found that Tesla still dominates the interests of European’s when it comes to EVs. The Tesla Model 3 is firmly in first place with 830,360 searches across Europe. In fact, thanks to the Model 3, Tesla has emerged as the biggest EV seller in Europe. However, it remains to be seen if they will keep this position long term with fierce competition. 

The Renault Zoe made a big impact on the EV market in the latter half of 2020 and its searches help support this, giving it a strong 2nd place. Porsche’s Taycan follows in 3rd place with 294,290 searches, the Tesla Model S at 4th place with over 270,000 searches and the Nissan Leaf coming in 5th place.

Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 is the most affordable Tesla model yet but still leaves very few disappointed thanks to its 254-mile range and ability to go from 0-60mph in just 5.3seconds. The Model 3 even comes with the Autopilot drive assistance system, which can help take the edge off any long trips you have planned. In addition, a dual-motor version with all-wheel drive and increased range is available.

Renault Zoe

The Renault Zoe is an electric car that perfectly suits the cities of Europe and is ideal for shorter commutes and daily errands. The Renault Zoe is more practical than most EVs and more affordable too. The Zoe has an electric driving range of up to 245 miles and, depending on your ability to consistently charge it, is a great electric alternative to a combustion-engined supermini. 

Porsche Taycan

The Porsche Taycan is a beautiful car to drive that leaves no doubt in your mind that you are driving a “proper” Porsche sports saloon. The Taycan delivers sports car-like handling, with ferocious acceleration and great agility, yet still offers four seats and a usable range. The Taycan clearly defines how Porsche sees its own future in the changeover from fossil fuels to electric vehicles.

Europe’s Favourite Electric Vehicle By Country

Not only is the Tesla Model 3 the most searched EV in Europe, but it is also the most searched EV in the majority of European countries. As you can see from our findings below, the Tesla Model 3 is the most searched EV in most of Western Europe, except Portugal, and in the Balkans, Baltic and Central Europe. 

Interestingly, in Scandanavian countries such as Norway and Sweden, the Polestar 2 is still the preferred electric vehicle. This makes sense as the Polestar 2 is manufactured in Sweden. Scandinavia is often seen as world leaders when it comes to EVs, which you can see below. 

The Most Electric Car Friendly Countries In Europe

Not only has the search data allowed us to discover the most popular electric vehicles in Europe, but it has also allowed us to find out which European countries search for EVs the most per Capita. Norway takes the lead with nearly 2000 searches, followed by its neighbours Denmark and Sweden in 2nd and 3rd place. The Netherlands takes 4th place with over 1000 searches and Iceland takes 5th place with just over 800 searches. 

Norway

Norway has become Europe’s electric vehicle capital, thanks to the country providing generous purchase subsidies and other incentives. Electric vehicles are exempt from acquisition tax and from Norway’s 25% value-added tax. In addition, electric vehicles enjoy a privileged position on the roads, with exemptions from tolls, free ferry rides and, in some cities, free parking. 

Last year, pure electric cars accounted for over 20% of new registrations in Norway. The Swedish Manufactured Polestar 2 was the most searched for electric car in Norway, which is likely due to its combination of high quality and cool Scandanavian style.

Denmark

Denmark has become one of the latest countries to propose an eventual ban on diesel and petrol cars with every new car in Denmark being an electric vehicle by 2030. This combined with tax incentives will result in an increase in EV sales in the country. However, Denmark has no domestic auto industry and will likely have to import any EVs. 

Sweden

Sweden hit a massive 49.4% plugin electric vehicle share in 2020 and with incentives still in effect, this is only likely to rise over 2021. Sweden is also the home of the Polestar 2, but several other models of electric vehicles are popular in the Scandinavian country, such as the Tesla Model T and the Porsche Taycan. 

Sources & Methodology

To calculate which electric car was the most popular in Europe we put a number of popular electric vehicles into Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and gathered the search volume for each country in Europe. This also allowed us to find the most searched for electric car per country in Europe and calculate which country searched for the most electric cars per capita.