According to industry data BEVs accounted for 10 per cent of passenger car sales in the EU, data from the region's carmaker association (ACEA) showed, surpassing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which took an 8.9 per cent share.

More than 224,145 BEVs were sold across the EU in the January-March period, up from 146,125 in the same period last year.

Hybrid electric vehicles accounted for more than a quarter of the market, up from around a fifth in the same period last year. Cars powered by petrol and diesel lost market share but still accounted for 52.8 per cent of the EU market during the period.