More than half of new Cyprus cars now hybrid

Hybrid cars now dominate both sales and vehicle registrations in Cyprus, the latest Statistical Service data confirms. It bears out a trend that has been building for some time. New figures on the Cyprus car market show hybrids now account for more than half of all registered passenger cars. Hybrids made up 51.9% of passenger cars registered between January and July 2026, up from 43.3% in the same period of 2025, making them the majority of registrations in Cyprus for the first time. Petrol cars, meanwhile, saw their share fall to 35.5%, down from 43.3% in the same period last year. Diesel cars slipped to 8% from 8.5%, while electric cars also saw a marginal dip, to 4.6% from 4.8% in the January-July 2025 period. Two in three used Another notable feature of car registrations in the first seven months of 2026 is that about two in three cars were used, with new car dealerships in Cyprus appearing to lose ground to imports of used vehicles. Of the 26,841 passenger car registrations, 18,227, or 67.9%, were used cars, while just 8,614, or 32.1%, were new. Vehicle registrations overall rose 11.5% compared with the same period last year, with passenger car registrations up 11.1%. According to Statistical Service data, a total of 34,787 vehicles were registered in the January-July 2026 period, compared with 31,200 in the same period last year. Commercial vehicles also saw a significant rise, with 4,074 registered in the same period, compared with 3,608 last year, an increase of 12.9%. Light trucks rose 12.1% to 3,324, road tractors (trailers) rose 15.2% to 152, heavy trucks rose 16.1% to 491, and rental vehicles rose 16.6% to 197. Bus registrations rose to 130 in the January-July 2026 period, from 89 in the same period of 2025. Registrations of motorcycles over 50cc also rose, by 12.9%, reaching 3,167 in January-July 2026, compared with 2,806 in the same period of 2025. The only category to record a decline was mopeds, with registrations falling to 100, compared with 143 last year. Why so many hybrids? The data suggests Cypriots favour hybrid cars. However, one important factor should be taken into account alongside this picture. In recent years, carmakers have developed their engines and vehicles with reducing fuel consumption as a key goal. As part of this, hybrid technology has developed significantly, covering both “mild hybrids” and “plug-in hybrids.” In the first case, cars combine an internal combustion engine with small batteries that charge as the vehicle moves, providing electric power to drive or assist the car at very low speeds and on startup. In the second case, these are cars that can be charged like fully electric vehicles, with larger batteries, but which also have an internal combustion engine and can travel longer distances purely on electric power. This technology is now found in a large share of the new cars produced by carmakers. Given this, and taking into account the restrictions on how old used cars can be when imported into Cyprus, it becomes clear that a large share of the options available to consumers now involve cars with hybrid technology, placing them in this category.