Hybrid vehicles have officially become the dominant choice for new car buyers in Cyprus. According to the latest figures released by the Statistical Service of Cyprus,
hybrids accounted for 51.7% of all passenger car registrations during the first half of 2026, marking a significant increase from 43% during the same period in 2025.
The figures highlight a clear change in buying habits, with more drivers opting for hybrid technology while petrol and diesel vehicles continue to lose market share.
Vehicle Registrations Continue to Grow
Between January and June 2026, a total of 29,367 vehicles were registered in Cyprus, representing a 13.2% increase compared with
25,954 registrations during the first six months of 2025. Passenger cars remained the largest category, with 22,597 registrations, up 13% year-on-year from 20,004.
Of those passenger cars:
- 7,245 were brand-new vehicles.
- 15,352 were used imports.
The figures once again underline the importance of the used-car market in Cyprus, which continues to account for the majority of passenger vehicle registrations.
Hybrids Pass the 50% Milestone
The biggest story in the latest data is the rapid growth of hybrid vehicles. For the first time, hybrids represented more than half of all passenger cars
registered in Cyprus during the first half of the year.
Market share by powertrain now stands at:
- Hybrid: 51.7% (up from 43.0%)
- Petrol: 35.2% (down from 43.6%)
- Diesel: 8.2% (down from 8.6%)
- Electric: 4.9% (up slightly from 4.8%)
While electric vehicle registrations continue to grow gradually, hybrids remain by far the preferred choice for Cyprus buyers,
offering lower fuel consumption without relying entirely on public charging infrastructure.
June Continues the Positive Trend
Growth also continued during June.
A total of 5,624 vehicles were registered during the month, an increase of 13.8% compared with 4,942 registrations in June 2025.
Passenger car registrations reached 4,338, up 14.8% from 3,780 a year earlier.
Rental Cars See a Decline
Not every segment of the market experienced growth.
Rental car registrations fell 11.8%, dropping from 2,820 during the first half of 2025 to 2,487 this year.
The decline suggests that much of the market growth is being driven by private buyers rather than fleet operators.
Commercial Vehicles and Motorcycles on the Rise
Commercial vehicle registrations also recorded healthy growth during the first half of 2026. Bus registrations increased from 78 to 111 vehicles. Goods transport vehicles rose 14.9%, reaching 3,510 registrations.
Within this category:
- Light trucks increased 12.9% to 2,795
- Road tractors rose 18.4% to 135
- Heavy trucks climbed 22.3% to 423
- Rental commercial vehicles increased 31.9% to 157
Meanwhile, registrations of mopeds under 50cc fell from 112 to 77.
Motorcycles over 50cc continued their upward trend, increasing 13.4% to 2,681 registrations compared with 2,364 during the first half of 2025.
What the Numbers Mean
The latest registration figures clearly show that Cyprus is moving towards electrification—but at a different pace than many other European markets.
Rather than switching directly to fully electric vehicles, most buyers are choosing hybrids, which combine lower fuel consumption with the convenience of conventional refuelling.
With hybrids now accounting for more than half of all new passenger car registrations, they have firmly established themselves as the preferred powertrain for Cyprus drivers in 2026.
