SLOVAKS MAKE ELECTRIC CARS, BUT BUY VERY FEW
The Slovak Electromobility Association (SEVA) informs that as of 31 December 2024, 15 476 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were driving on Slovak roads. The number of electric cars on the road will thus increase by 53% (+ 5 380 units) during 2024. However, the positive percentage increases should be seen in the context that with a small fleet like the one we have in Slovakia, even a thousand new vehicles will make a huge year-on-year difference.
A more significant increase in the electric fleet was already recorded in the first and second quarters. Between January and June, 2 571 electric vehicles were registered, 28% more than in the same period of the previous year. The second half of the year was even stronger, with an increase of 2,809 vehicles, while the fourth quarter of 2024 was the strongest quarter in the history of electro-mobility in Slovakia with a total of 1,483 new registrations, and the record month was October with an increase of 567 vehicles. “This development indicates that the EV market is gradually entering a phase of continuous growth. Although we no longer see such sharp year-on-year increases as in the past, in the long term it is positive – electromobility is becoming part of the vehicle market in Slovakia,” comments SEVA analyst Martin Jelenek.
“The development especially towards the end of 2024 confirms the acceleration of the adoption of electromobility,” says Patrik Križanský, SEVA’s market director. The growth in sales of electric vehicles in 2024 shows that Slovak drivers and companies have become more interested in emission-free transport. “We see that the number of EVs on the road has almost tripled in two years. The growth is no longer just driven by technology enthusiasts or initial trial purchases for corporate fleets, but also by an expanded range of models, better availability of charging infrastructure and economic arguments,” adds the association’s director. It would contribute significantly to better adoption of electro-mobility if we could emulate our neighbours: in Poland, for example, subsidies for the purchase, leasing and long-term rental of electric vehicles from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, totalling €380 million, have just been announced today.
It is also interesting to compare the figures from police statistics with official new car sales. According to data from the Association of the Automotive Industry, 2,227 new battery electric vehicles were registered throughout the year, with a share of 2.4 per cent. The result placed Slovakia in last place among all European countries. ZAP reports in these figures the sales of new vehicles by official importers, which do not include the Tesla brand as it is not represented in Slovakia. “By comparing the two figures, we can get a fairly accurate picture of the fact that individual imports account for the majority of new EVs on Slovak roads – more than 3,100 EVs were imported individually in 2024, either as new or used cars,” the analyst explains.
| “We expect the number of electric vehicles on Slovak roads to exceed 20,000 already in 2025. The prices of electric cars are visibly catching up with their combustion alternatives, and manufacturers are also bringing out several new models in the lower and middle categories with price tags starting from EUR 20,000 and 30,000 respectively. It is lower prices and a wider range of different models that will drive higher sales to corporate fleets or individual customers in 2025,” concludes SEVA Director Patrik Križanský. |