Electric vehicles could help the European Union avoid importing 190 million barrels of oil every year by 2030, generating around €12 billion in annual savings, according to new analysis from E-Mobility Europe and Ember.
The analysis says the savings depend on Europe meeting expected deployment rates for electric cars, vans and trucks by the end of the decade. That would include around 35 million battery electric vehicles, 3 million electric commercial vehicles and 200,000 electric trucks.
Road transport currently represents around two-thirds of EU demand for oil products, making electrification one of the fastest routes to reducing oil dependency and strengthening energy security.
EV adoption already cutting oil imports
According to the analysis, electric vehicles registered in the EU displaced 67 million barrels of oil in 2025, avoiding approximately €4 billion in oil import costs.
The report also estimates that the one million newly registered electric vehicles added this year have already cut oil consumption by around 4 million barrels.
Chris Heron, Secretary General of E-Mobility Europe, said:
“Europe must decide: do we continue to relinquish our strategic autonomy to other regions, or will we act with laser focus to capture the full benefits of electric security? As a continent, we need to decide who we want to be, get back in the EV driving seat, and deliver long-term resilience.”
Five priorities for electric security
The report argues that Europe must strengthen its resilience while avoiding the creation of new dependencies as transport electrification accelerates.
It identifies five priorities needed to support full electric security:
- Deploy – put more electric cars, vans and trucks on Europe’s roads
- Build – strengthen Europe’s EV industrial base
- Power – make electricity the affordable fuel of transport
- Flex – turn EVs into energy assets
- Protect – secure the digital backbone of mobility
E-Mobility Europe says the European Commission’s upcoming Electrification Action Plan should become a milestone for a more focused EV resilience strategy, helping place Europe on an irreversible electrification pathway.
Reducing oil dependency through electrification
The analysis frames EV adoption not only as a climate measure, but also as an economic and strategic priority for Europe.
By reducing demand for imported oil, electric vehicles could help retain more economic value within the bloc, reduce exposure to volatile global oil markets and improve long-term energy security.
For more information, visit E-Mobility Europe and Ember.
