Statistics from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show new passenger car registrations grew 3.4% last year to reach more than 15m vehicles.
The numbers represent the first time the 15m mark has been surpassed since 2007 and is the fourth consecutive year of growth.
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Among the five large markets, Italy (+7.9%) and Spain (+7.7%) recorded the strongest gains, followed by France (+4.7%) and Germany (+2.7%).
In contrast, last year demand for cars in the UK declined (-5.7%) for the first time in six years, while new EU Member States showed registrations rising 12.8% during the year.
In December last year, new passenger car registrations in the EU fell 4.9%, totalling 1,088,498 units, mainly due to December having one working day less in 2017 than the preceding year.
Nearly all major EU markets contracted, except for the Spanish one (+6.2%).
The UK’s car market posted its ninth straight month of decline, with registrations falling 14.4% in December.
See also: European market edges up in 2017; 2018 will slow
