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Monthly gains for Italy’s new-car market were subdued by a longer-term downturn in September. Could growth in the electrified vehicle market bring hope? Autovista24 web editor James Roberts assesses the picture.
The Italian new-car market recorded growth in September, with 126,863 new vehicles registered. Aided by an additional working day, this marked a 4.2% year-on-year increase, amounting to a 5,095 unit uptick, according to the latest data from ANFIA.
This was the first positive result for the country’s market since April, albeit with the third-lowest monthly volume total of 2025.
Between January and September, the Italian new-car market remained down year on year. In total, 1,167,995 new vehicles were registered, equating to a 2.9% fall and a deficit of 34,488 units.
Labelled by ANFIA as a ‘worrying’ month, the result continues a wider pattern of inertia, which has plagued the Italian new-car market. The year-to-date figures reveal little in terms of radical powertrain shifts, as underlined by Roberto Pietrantonio, president of industry body UNRAE.
‘The interruption of the negative trend, already predicted by UNRAE, is not a real sign of improvement,’ highlighted Pietrantonio, ‘but derives only from the comparison with an already very weak September 2024 and the effect of the calendar, which in 2025 has one more working day than last year. The market has been stagnating for some time and the month of September, compared to the pre-pandemic period, shows a loss of 14.6%, with 21,000 fewer units.’
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations stood out amid September’s powertrain performances. The technology enjoyed a year-on-year increase of 160.2%, with 10,670 of these vehicles taking to Italian roads. This new monthly record helped PHEVs claim an 8.4% market share, its highest so far in 2025.
September saw BEV sales continue to underperform in Italy, despite recording the third-highest volume this year. 7,169 new all-electric vehicles left dealerships, a 11.6% increase compared with 12 months prior, and a 746-unit increase. In terms of market share, this equated to a meagre 0.4pp year-on-year increase.
Therefore, September’s PHEV volumes helped drive the overall plug-in vehicle market share to 14.1%, a 5.5 percentage point (pp) upswing from one year ago. However, the monthly PHEV success was overshadowed by the listless BEV trade.
The impact of PHEV and BEV sales on the wider market in the first nine months of the year was muted. BEVs accounted for 5.2%, while PHEVs made up 5.9%. Despite healthy year-on-year percentage point increases, the two powertrain variants made up the smallest slices of the Italian new-car market cake.
In the same period, EV totals were jointly responsible for 11.1% of the Italian new-car market, with 129,926 units reaching customers. This proved a new high for 2025, plus a 3.8pp year-on-year improvement. However, industry bodies maintain the message that EV uptake remains well below the desired targets.
This situation is echoed by repeated calls for new incentives to be clarified by the Italian government as soon as possible. UNRAE stated that: ‘the path towards the energy transition is still proceeding too slowly.’
Following a wider European trend, hybrids, made up of full and mild technologies, dominated the Italian new-car market in September.
Described by ANFIA as a ‘useful tool to promote decarbonisation,’ the powertrain commanded a 45.1% market share. In total, 57,243 hybrid vehicles took to the autostrade in September. This confirmed a 7.5% year-on-year increase of 3,991 units.
Across the first nine months of the year, the hybrid market share sat at 44.3%, 3.9pp up on 2024 figures. This share has fluctuated only 0.3pp since January. In total, 517,825 units were delivered, a 9.2% improvement.
Combining plug-in and hybrid totals ensured another month of electrified registration dominance. In total, 75,082 electrified powertrains entered Italy’s car parc in September, a 17.7% year-on-year increase.
Aside from an incentive-boosted March and a low point in August, electrified registrations have remained consistent in 2025. September’s total of 75,082 provided both a solid return and ensured a new monthly market share high of 59.2%.
Removing PHEVs from the overall monthly numbers drops the share to 55.4%. This is closer in line with previous monthly shares and underlines the powertrain’s key role in September’s result.
Between January and September, 647,751 BEVs, PHEVs and hybrids were registered, up 15.2% year on year. The electrified market share stood at 55.5%, an 8.7pp improvement from 2024.
The story of internal-combustion engine (ICE) decline continued in Italy. However, petrol witnessed its least severe year-on-year fall of 2025. The 29,044 registrations were down just 6.6%, compared with September 2024. The fuel type ended the month with the Italian new-car market’s second-highest market share of 22.9%, down 2.6pp.
Diesel endured its now customary double-digit decline. Just 11,309 new diesel and biodiesel vehicles took to Italy’s roads in September, down 27.5%, and 4,287 units year on year. This carved out a monthly market share of 8.9%, down 3.9pp.
Combined petrol and diesel totals hit 40,353 units in September. This returned a market share of 31.8%, the lowest of the year so far, and 6.5pp down year on year.
In the year to date, ICE models accounted for 35.4% of the Italian new-car market. This equated to a sizeable 8.3pp fall. In terms of units, a year-on-year deficit of 112,882 emerged.
Despite the apparent freefall of petrol and diesel registrations in 2025, a common issue remains. ICE vehicles continue to hold a relatively high market share, remaining well over 30%.
After eight months of the year, the ICE market share has reached a new low. However, the variation has only deviated 1.5pp from April’s high of 36.9%. Time will tell whether this decline will accelerate before the end of 2025, eroded by any incentive-spurred EV uptake.
With 11,428 registrations in September, liquid-petroleum gas (LPG) remained a mainstay for consumers in Italy. These sales equated to a 1.1% year-on-year increase, and a not insignificant 9% market share, although this was down 0.3pp.
LPG is an important powertrain for the Italian new-car market. ANFIA highlights it as: ‘an important contribution towards the progressive decarbonisation of mobility.’ Across the first nine months of 2025, 107,234 LPG-powered vehicles rolled off forecourts, down 6.1% year-on-year. This ensured a 9.2% market share, falling 0.3pp year on year.
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