Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are taking over the market: gaining momentum in the US, and already the most popular in Europe
Kyiv • UNN
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are rapidly increasing sales, displacing gasoline cars. In the US, 22% of passenger cars sold in the first quarter of this year were hybrids, and in Europe they are already the most popular, occupying 35% of the market.
2025 was an important year for hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and 2026 is expected to be even more significant, writes InsideEVs, reports UNN.
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In the first quarter of this year, about 22% of passenger cars sold in the US were hybrids or plug-in hybrids, compared to about 18% in the first quarter of 2024, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). People may not be switching to electric vehicles en masse, but they are opting for battery-powered options over purely gasoline-powered cars.
In the US, traditional hybrids are much more popular than plug-in hybrids, although the situation is different in other parts of the world. In the third quarter, sales of traditional hybrids - which have a gasoline engine, a small electric motor, and a small high-voltage battery - increased by 20% in the US compared to the same period last year, according to data from analytics firm PwC.
Meanwhile, sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) - cars with a larger battery and a more powerful electric motor - grew by only 3% in the third quarter. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as car companies are rushing to fill a potential niche left by electric vehicles, the publication notes.
Even more impressive data is observed in Europe. Hybrids are now the most popular type of new car in this market, accounting for 35% of the market. Together with plug-in hybrids, they have surpassed sales of cars with exclusively gasoline or diesel engines. And in China, despite significant leadership in the electric vehicle segment, hybrid sales are growing as buyers outside of cities face the same charging problems as everyone else.
Some automakers had set ambitious goals to become all-electric brands by 2030, 2035, or later. Faced with the harsh reality of the market, many have backed down, postponing or canceling the release of new electric vehicles. Now they are looking for ways to attract buyers by offering more hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars.
This is good news, at least for now. Buying a hybrid car can significantly reduce gasoline costs compared to an older gasoline car.
Porsche, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Nissan, Honda, and others have serious plans to invest a lot of money in new electrified powertrains that are easy to insert into existing car platforms. Toyota has been doing this extremely well for over a decade, and it's not going to stop anytime soon, as it wants to sell as many hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles as possible. Toyota had an impressive sales year in the US thanks to the strength of its hybrid lineup, and now many other automakers are trying to follow suit.
So, it is worth expecting that 2026 will be full of news related to hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars.
Technology is developing extremely rapidly, and soon there will be electric vehicles costing $25,000 or even less, allowing more people to get behind the wheel of a car without gasoline. Solid-state batteries are also expected to become widespread by the end of the decade, which will allow for increased range, and some companies have already succeeded in creating even more efficient internal combustion engines, the publication writes.