In April, the PV selling rate for Western Europe stood at 11.2 million units/year, broadly in line with that of March. Sales volumes totalled 949k units, a 1.1% decline from March 2024. YTD sales now stand at just under 4 million units, down 0.7% from the same period last year. Spain continued its strong run of results, while markets such as France and the UK faced declines.
The story for the Western European PV market remains the same as last month. Global and regional economic headwinds, specifically US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, have heightened uncertainty and hurt consumer confidence, which is now having real affects in many Western European markets. GlobalData continues to forecast 2025 sales to fall short of 2024’s result.
The PV selling rate for Western Europe in April was 11.2 million units/year. While this was similar to the March selling rate result, YoY sales experienced a decline of 1.1%, totalling 949K units. The tariff strategy implemented by US President Donald Trump has introduced significant uncertainty into global trade relations, which is now manifesting in tangible effects on the global economy. Both consumer confidence and business investment have taken a hit, particularly within the automotive sector. Given these challenging circumstances, we continue to project weaker results for the Western European PV market compared to those recorded in 2024.
In April 2025, sales performance across the five major markets in Western Europe exhibited disparities. Spain continues to shine as one of the region’s top performers with sales up 12% YTD, and up just over 7% YoY in April to 99k units — the Reinicia Auto+ Plan and the MOVES plan have supported recent market results. Italy also experienced a positive trend, marking its second consecutive month of growth with sales increasing nearly 3% YoY to 139k units; however, the monthly selling rate fell nearly 5% to 1.53 million units/year.
Conversely, France, Germany, and the UK faced more challenges in April. France’s sales dipped to 139k units, reflecting a decline of 5.6% YoY. The UK experienced a significant downturn of over 10% in April, attributed to selling day differences YoY due to the timing of Easter, as well as a pull-forward effect in March 2025 sales due to changes in car tax (VED). Meanwhile, Germany’s sales declined slightly by 0.2% YoY to 243k units as consumer confidence continues to wane amid ongoing economic headwinds.
This article was first published on GlobalData’s dedicated research platform, the Automotive Intelligence Center.
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