Renault Zoe Was Europe's Best-Selling EV Last Year

The Zoe was also Europe's bestselling EV with 18,453 registrations in 2015. The electric hatchback was especially popular in France where it had a 48.1-percent market share in the segment. Renault updated the model in 2015 to give it about 240 km of range on the European testing cycle, an 29-km upgrade.

Renault has sold 62,228 EVs in Europe since 2010, and the market for the efficient vehicles has continued to grow on the continent. The segment's sales totaled 97,687 examples in 2015, which was up 47.8 percent year-over-year. However, EVs remain a miniscule amount of Europe's overall auto sales at just 0.61 percent market share.

Renault likes to tout its strength in the European EV segment, but the company's green image could face problems soon. French authorities searched the automaker's offices recently after emissions tests reportedly showed high levels of NOx from some models. German researchers also made similar allegations about pollution from the Renault Espace.