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Albanians do not give up on diesel cars, they accounted for about 60% of new purchases in January-March

2026-04-13 08:03:00, Ekonomi CNA

Albanians do not give up on diesel cars, they accounted for about 60% of new

While all of Europe has moved away from diesel cars, in Albania they continue to account for the largest share of new vehicle registrations, making the consequences of price increases even more noticeable.

According to data from the General Directorate of Road Transport Services (GDRT), out of 17.7 thousand vehicles that were registered for the first time in the first quarter of 2026, about 59% of them were diesel.

The share of new diesel-fuelled cars registered for the first time is the highest in Europe, according to other Eurostat data. In 2024 (the latest year for which data is available), diesel cars accounted for an average of 15% of new registrations in the European Union. The countries in the ranking after Albania, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina had this share at 47% and 44% respectively.

Although compared to 2024, when 66% of first-time car registrations in the country were diesel, there is a 6 percentage point decrease, the share of diesel cars newly entering the market remains very high.

In Europe, gasoline dominates new registrations, with around 60% of registrations in 2024. In Albania, newly registered gasoline cars were 18% of the total in the first three months of 2026.

A positive development in 2026 is the increase in the share of electric cars, which accounted for 13% of registrations for the first time in January-March, the same share as in Europe, also in 2024.

Why Europe reduced the use of diesel cars

According to Eurostat, a time series based on available data for all years from 2014 to 2024 for 20 EU countries shows how the engine power types of new passenger cars have changed.

In these countries, which accounted for 93% of new passenger cars in the EU in 2024, the number of diesel vehicles (including hybrids) fell by 67%, while the number of petrol vehicles (including hybrids) increased by 60%.

The decline in diesel car use in Europe is linked to a combination of regulatory and market factors. Following the Dieselgate scandal in 2015, European authorities tightened emissions standards and increased controls, making the technology less attractive to manufacturers and consumers. The scandal erupted after it was revealed that German carmaker Volkswagen had rigged emissions tests on millions of diesel vehicles, severely damaging public confidence in the technology.

At the same time, many cities have imposed restrictions on diesel vehicles due to air pollution, while European Union policies have favored the shift towards electric and hybrid cars through subsidies and climate targets.

At the same time, rising taxes and the reduction in the price advantage over gasoline have affected buyers' decisions, while major manufacturers have shifted their strategy towards electrification. As a result, the share of diesel cars in Europe is steadily declining, especially in the new car segment./ Monitor Magazine