Electric and hybrid cars are making up an increasing share of new vehicle registrations in Cyprus, even as total registrations continue to decline.

Between January and April 2025, electric vehicles accounted for 4.8 per cent of passenger saloon car registrations, up from 3.6 per cent during the same period in 2024.

Hybrid cars also saw strong growth, increasing their share from 37.4 per cent to 43.3 per cent year-on-year.

In contrast, petrol-powered cars fell sharply, dropping to 42.9 per cent of total saloon registrations from 48.9 per cent a year earlier.

Diesel car registrations also declined slightly, making up just 9 per cent of the market compared to 10 per cent in the first four months of 2024.

The data, released by the statistical service on Friday in its latest report on new vehicle registrations, reveals a wider downturn in the automotive sector.

Total motor vehicle registrations from January to April 2025 dropped by 8.3 per cent, falling to 16,133 compared with 17,589 in the same period last year.

Passenger saloon cars were the most affected, with registrations down 9.7 per cent to 12,509 from 13,851 a year earlier.

Of those, 5,545 vehicles or 44.3 per cent were new, while 6,964 or 55.7 per cent were used.

However, rental cars in this category recorded an increase of 10.9 per cent, reaching 1,551 units.

In April alone, vehicle registrations fell by 18.6 per cent, totalling 3,877 compared to 4,762 in April 2024.

Passenger saloon registrations during the month also dropped sharply by 20.2 per cent, reaching 2,924 from 3,662 the previous April.

Motor coaches and buses registered in the first four months of 2025 fell to 44, compared to 78 during the same period last year.

Moreover, goods conveyance vehicles declined by 2.1 per cent to 1,921 from 1,963 a year earlier.

Within this category, light goods vehicles rose slightly by 1.3 per cent to 1,570, and road tractors (units of trailers) increased by 2.8 per cent to 73.

However, heavy goods vehicles declined by 7.8 per cent to 213, while rental goods vehicles fell steeply by 41.4 per cent to 65.

Mopeds under 50cc experienced a sharp decline, with registrations dropping to just 80 compared to 364 in the same period of 2024.

In contrast, registrations of motorcycles over 50cc rose significantly by 24.7 per cent, climbing to 1,371 from 1,099 a year ago.