Gasoline and diesel cars are rapidly losing ground in Portugal — and that may be welcome news. Fewer emissions, less noise and a better chance of cleaner air in cities are all part of the shift.

According to ACAP data, 73.7% of all new passenger cars sold in Portugal during the first five months of 2026 were either electric or hybrid vehicles. By comparison, diesel-powered cars accounted for just 3.8% of sales.

Conventional hybrids were the most popular category, making up 29.3% of registrations, followed by fully electric vehicles at 24.5% and plug-in hybrids at 14.2%. Petrol-powered cars still held a 22.4% share of the market, but the direction of travel is already clear.

A total of 127,626 new vehicles were registered in Portugal between January and May, almost 10% more than a year earlier. The market is growing — and so is the share of cars that do not turn city streets into extensions of an exhaust pipe.