Once more, the Renault Zoe has maintained the title of best-selling electric car in Europe now that sales reports have been compiled through July.

As has been the case all year, the subcompact hatchback's only real competition for the top spot came from the Nissan Leaf, built by Renault's Japanese alliance partner.

The Leaf still vastly outsells the Zoe on a global scale, but the Renault has gradually built up momentum in its home market.

DON'T MISS: Renault delivered its 100,000th electric car on Friday, in Norway

Just last week, a white Zoe that went to a buyer in Norway became the French automaker's 100,000th electric car delivery.

As always, European data comes from the running tally of electric-car and plug-in hybrid sales kept by the the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO), which currently covers only the first seven months of 2016.

As of July, the Zoe 12,907 sales in Europe, giving it 9.9 percent of the electric-car market.

Nissan Leaf on scenic drives in Europe

Nissan Leaf on scenic drives in Europe

The Leaf was relatively close behind with 11,851 recorded sales.

The Renault-Nissan duo was followed by the Tesla Model S, which boasted 7,474 sales.

ALSO SEE: Plug-in electric car sales for August: Volt sells at twice Leaf rate (updated)

The EAFO uses registration data to determine its figures, which is how it can calculate monthly Model S sales despite the fact that Tesla refuses to release official monthly sales results or break down its quarterly results by country or region.

Just outside the top three was the Volkswagen e-Golf, with 4,394 sales.

2017 BMW i3

2017 BMW i3

It was followed by the BMW i3 and Kia Soul EV, which achieved 2,774 and 2,371 sales, respectively.

Next came the Mercedes-Benz B250e (1,727 sales) and the Volkswagen e-Up city car (1,500 sales).

MORE: Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, August 2016: Volt laurels

Finally, the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero rounded out the top 10, with 1,109 sales and 847 sales, respectively.

Both French city cars are re-badged versions of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid

2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid

Plug-in hybrids: another good month for Mitsubishi

As it has since the beginning of the year, the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid led overall plug-in hybrid sales in Europe through the end of July.

The Mitsubishi crossover racked up 12,538 sales in the first seven months of 2016, giving 9.6-percent market share.

It was followed by a pair of Volkswagens—the Golf GTE (6,511 sales) and Passat GTE (5,945 sales).

Next came the Volvo XC90 T8 "Twin Engine," with 5,794 sales.

It was followed in turn by the Mercedes-Benz C350e and Audi A3 e-tron, which achieved 4,887 sales and 3,790 sales, respectively.

2017 BMW 330e i Performance

2017 BMW 330e i Performance

In a testament to the German luxury brand's enthusiasm for plug-in hybrids, the remaining slots were all occupied by BMW models.

The X5 xDrive40e SUV achieved 2,938 sales, while the 330e sedan reached 2,751 sales.

Next came the i3 REx extended-range electric car—which is considered a plug-in hybrid for the purposes of the EAFO tally—with 2,572 sales.

Finally, the 225xe Active Tourer recorded 2,940 sales in the first seven months of the year.

Active Tourer hatchback models use a front-wheel drive platform, and are unrelated to the rear-wheel drive 2-Series coupe and convertible sold in the U.S.

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