Renault EV growth gathers pace as high petrol prices tempt buyers to electric cars

Renault has seen its electric car sales grow by over 40% so far this year, with the geopolitical issues in the middle east likely to increase the pace of change, according to the brand. 

The French manufacturer is Europe’s number two for electric car sales, and the huge impact of the retro Renault 5, as well as the addition of the Renault 4, has driven the 7.2 percentage point jump in Renault’s EV numbers, which now account for 23.9% of its new car sales. 

And that could ramp up further thanks to the ongoing rise in petrol prices caused by recent conflicts. “We see petrol is under price pressure and it’s having a huge effect on people all over the world,” said Renault global sales and operations director Ivan Seagal. “There is a push in the direction of electrified cars, we are starting to see it in orders in the short term, and if this situation continues we will have an acceleration in that direction.”

Overall, Renault Group recorded more than 546,000 sales in the first quarter of 2026, down 3.3% versus Q1 2025 thanks to weather conditions disrupting Dacia deliveries in January. Outside of Europe, Renault recorded huge growth in India - up 47.6% even before the launch of the new Renault Duster - the rebranded local market version of the Dacia model.

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