European car sharing continues to grow with 8% fleet rise

Europe’s car sharing market continues to expand, with new analysis by Invers revealing an 8% increase in fleet size since 2024.

According to the fifth edition of the tech firm’s Mobility Barometer, the number of vehicles in Europe’s station-based and free-floating car-sharing fleets has surpassed 129,000.

While this marks a slowdown from the 14% growth recorded in 2024, Invers’ Senior Researcher Enrico Howe describes the figure as “impressive given the dynamic macro-economic market environment in recent years.”

What’s driving the growth?

Both station-based and free-floating operators are contributing to the upward trend, though the latter continues to dominate in scale.

Over the past year, the number of free-floating vehicles grew by 4,000 to reach 67,000 vehicles today. Station-based fleets increased by 5,000 vehicles to 62,000 today.

Howe attributes the sector’s resilience to “a strong uptake of digital mobility solutions by younger generations,” coupled with the rising cost of private car ownership including fuel, maintenance, insurance and parking.

“Both factors are supporting the growth of car sharing,” Howe told Zag Daily. “The vehicle supply side is responding to this user demand.”

In particular, SUV owners are feeling the squeeze of private car ownership as cities across Europe introduce higher parking fees for larger vehicles, from Cardiff to Paris.

Who’s leading?

Car sharing services are now available in 42 European countries, revealing the largest European car sharing market to date

The top five markets – Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands – collectively host the largest combined free-floating and station-based fleets.

Germany leads with 45,400 vehicles, featuring a local free-floating market dominated by a few major players and a “complex and heterogeneous” station-based segment. France follows with a total car-sharing fleet of over 13,800. Italy counts 8,600, Belgium more than 7,400, and the Netherlands tallies an estimated 7,000.

Among the top markets, Belgium and Germany have the highest car-sharing density, each offering more than five vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants.

Electrification on the rise

Invers’ report highlights electrification as a key trend across Europe, though progress varies significantly across regions.

Spain demonstrates the highest electrification rate, with 66% of car-sharing vehicles now EVs and 19% hybrid. Italy’s fleet comprises 35% EVs and 38% hybrids, while half of all car-sharing vehicles in the Netherlands are electric.

Overall, the report finds that car-sharing fleets remain far more electrified than privately owned cars, underlining the industry’s pivotal role in driving Europe’s transition to electric mobility.