The EU has moved away from its ban on the sale of new cars with combustion engines until 2035. Nevertheless, the acceptance of electric vehicles continues to increase. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, electric vehicles accounted for 16.4% of total new car sales in the EU in the first ten months of the year. This represents a notable increase compared to the same period in 2024, when ACEA reported that only 13.2% of vehicles sold did not have an internal combustion engine.
While electric vehicle adoption remains uneven across the continent, BMW points to a dramatic rise in popularity in Belgium and Luxembourg. In 2025, almost half of the cars sold in two Western European countries were without internal combustion engines. Electric vehicle market share increased from just 3% in 2020 to 49% in 2025.
Looking ahead, BMW expects electrodynamics to continue in 2026 with the introduction of the second-generation iX3. The first modern New Class model is expected to increase the share of electric vehicles in total deliveries in Belgium and Luxembourg to 60%. The “NA5” is already receiving an “enthusiastic reception” before delivery starting next spring.
The i3 sedan will also hit the market in 2026, but not until the end of the year. Therefore, the “NA0” is unlikely to have a significant impact on sales until 2027. Likewise, the iX4 and iX5 crossovers, launching in 2026, are expected to make a real impact the following year. Meanwhile, companies’ fleet sales play an important role in increasing the number of electric vehicles. At the end of last month, PwC Belgium received 423 BMW iX1s in the eDrive20 design.
Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, are losing ground in Belgium and Luxembourg. BMW models that combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor accounted for more than a third of deliveries in 2023, but their share fell to just 13% in 2025. Traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles accounted for about a third of sales over the past three years, a share that is expected to remain largely unchanged in 2026.
Although electric vehicles are on the rise, the company’s head of Belgium and Luxembourg emphasizes that all powertrains remain important. This is what Alexander W. Wehr, CEO of BMW Group Belux, says:
“The BMW Group remains committed to the principle of ‘technology openness’. We do not believe in a single solution for the future of mobility, but rather rely on a wide range of drive technologies, from fully electric vehicles to hybrid, gasoline, diesel and hydrogen models. This versatile approach allows us to react flexibly to the diverse needs of our customers and different market conditions while at the same time working on sustainable and innovative mobility for everyone.”
