Hybrid and electric vehicles are taking an increasingly larger share of Bulgaria’s automotive market

The transition to alternative powertrains in the Bulgarian automotive market is becoming increasingly evident, as traditional fuels are beginning to noticeably lose their historical dominance. Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) for May 2026 show that while total new car sales in Bulgaria are growing, the structure of demand is changing radically.

There has been triple-digit growth in conventional hybrids (HEVs) and steady growth in all-electric models (BEVs). These two categories, supported by plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), now account for 15.2% of the market for the first five months of the year—nearly double their combined share of 8.5% for the same period in 2025.

The Market in Numbers

Data for May 2026 show steady growth, with a total of 4,293 new cars registered – an 11.5% increase compared to 3,850 units in May of last year.

This strong monthly result also contributes to the rise in cumulative figures. From January through May, a total of 20,500 new passenger cars were sold in Bulgaria, representing steady year-over-year growth of 5.3% (compared to 19,463 units in 2025).

The segment with the highest absolute growth in May was conventional hybrids (HEV). They recorded an impressive 143.3% increase on a monthly basis, with registrations reaching 292 units (compared to just 120 a year ago). In the long term, the picture is similar – for the first five months, growth in this segment was 103.8% (1,219 units), and their market share jumped from 3.1% to 5.9%.

B Battery electric vehicles (BEVs)B remain the preferred eco-friendly choice in absolute terms. In May, they recorded an 86.6% increase with 362 new registrations (compared to 194 a year ago), reaching a record market share of 8.4% for the month. The results for the first five months are also impressive – 1,565 electric vehicles were sold (+87.2%), accounting for 7.6% of all new cars in Bulgaria.

The only temporary slowdown in the electrified vehicle segment was observed among plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which saw a 19.1% decline in May (55 units compared to 68 units). However, this result does not detract from their overall performance since the beginning of the year, during which the segment has remained in positive territory with 63% growth and 352 units sold.

Although cars with traditional internal combustion engines saw moderate growth in the absolute number of registrations in May due to the overall expansion of the market, their relative market share is rapidly declining. Gasoline-powered cars saw a 5.5% increase to 3,148 units in May, but their market share fell to 73.3% (from 77.5% a year earlier).

The aggregate data for the January – May period is even more indicative of the decline in gasoline-powered cars. This is the only major segment to have seen a decline in sales since the beginning of the year – down 1.9% to 14,913 vehicles. This has led to a significant contraction in its market share – from 78.1% in the first five months of 2025, it has now fallen to 72.7%.

Unlike gasoline, diesel is showing interesting resilience. In May, it recorded a slight increase of 2.7% (387 units), and for the first five months, its sales rose by 8.8% to 2,152 vehicles. This even allowed it to slightly expand its market share compared to the same period last year, reaching 10.5% (compared to 10.2% for January – May 2025).

Translated with DeepL.