Over 47,000 new cars were registered in Romania in the first five months of the year, a 33.3% increase relative to the same period of 2021, according to data from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA), quoted by Agerpres.

The car brands most favored by Romanian buyers were Dacia, Ford, and Hyundai, followed by Renault, Volkswagen, Skoda, and Marcedes-Benz.

Figures for May also show a strong increase – roughly 41% when compared to 2020. However, the number of registrations of new cars is still well below pre-pandemic levels.

The same figures for May 2022 represent a nearly 22% drop relative to 2019. Roughly 65% of the newly-acquired cars run on gasoline, 15% on diesel, and nearly 20% are electric or hybrid cars. Sales for the latter increased 135% compared to last year, and among them, fully electric cars saw the sharpest rise, 514%, followed by plug-in hybrids (145%).

The most sought-after fully electric cars in Romania were Dacia Spring, Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Kona, Volkswagen e-UP, and Renault Zoe. Each saw impressive increases, with the Model 3 raking in a 19-fold increase in purchases compared to the first five months of 2021.

(Photo: Pixabay)

radu@romania-insider.com