ROME – The automotive industry is at the forefront of sustainability: attention to environmental issues is growing, so much so that in the first five months of 2021 one in three new cars sold is hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric (33, 9% net of rental), with an increase in registrations of + 335.1%. But there is still a long way to go: structural incentives and investments in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles are needed to concretely help the environment and stimulate the green soul of Italians.
Over two thirds of those who intend to buy a car today (67%) believe the environmental impact is an important aspect to consider, a figure that reaches up to 75% among those looking for a new car. An attention that is starting to have its positive effects on the market, even if the price always remains the main lever for consumers. Thanks to eco-bonuses and government incentives also intended for the 61-135 g / km CO range2 and to the policies of some virtuous local administrations, over a third (33.9%) of new cars sold in the first five months of 2021 (net of rental), concern hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars (191,680 registrations), up by + 335.1% compared to the same period of 2020. We are talking about a significant jump compared to a share of 13.2% in 2020, with a rapidly expanding trend even considering last year’s lockdown.
This is what emerges from an analysis conducted by Autoscout24, the largest European online automotive marketplace (based on internal data and UNRAE, the Association of Foreign Car Manufacturers), carried out on the occasion of World Environment Day.
In the same period, there were also positive signs in the second hand sector, with + 127% of user requests on AutoScout24, even if the share is still marginal compared to other supplies. Growing numbers that could increase faster if a policy of structural economic support were adopted, extending them also to second-hand vehicles and investments in charging infrastructures for electric vehicles, so far still scarce or limited.
Going into detail, in the first five months of the year the best-selling new cars (HEVs) that do not require recharging: with 159,669 units and a market share of 28.2%, they are an example that testifies such as the incentives provided in the 61-135 g / km of CO emissions band2 have helped push the demand for this diet. But the greatest growth compared to the first five months of 2020 concerns plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs) with electric charging, which with 16,227 cars sold jumped by + 605.5%. Electricity (BEV), on the other hand, recorded 15,784 new registrations (+ 230.1% compared to January-May 2020).
Both power supplies, however, in Italy, maintain a much lower penetration than the other large European markets, with 2.9% for Plug-in hybrids and 2.8% for electric ones. In fact, the “cars on tap” suffer from the lack of recharging infrastructures in our country, which are essential for the development of these supplies.
And what about the prices? The most recent used hybrid cars (from 1 to 3 years) have an average selling price of € 34,680 (+ 4% compared to 2020), a figure that shows how the value remains high during the first years of life. Always considering the same age group (from 1 to 3 years), to buy a used electric car you need on average 26,850 euros, 25,470 euros for diesel, 20,960 euros for petrol.
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