2014 (Full Year) France: Best-Selling Car Models

Renault Clio at the Geneva Auto SalonThe Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 remained the top-selling car models in France during 2014. The Captur and 308 were also favorites of French car buyers. In a flat car market, the Fiat 500 was the only truly new model on the top-twenty list of best-selling car models in France in 2014. No foreign brands were among the top ten most-popular car models in France.

Top 20 Car Models in France in 2014

The twenty most popular car models in France in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration data released by the CCFA were:

Position 2014 Position 2013 Car Make & Model Cars Sold in 2014 Cars Sold in 2013
1 1 Renault Clio IV 105,182 103,172
2 2 Peugeot 208 83,965 90,484
3 7 Renault Captur 62,985 39,629
4 33 Peugeot 308 II 60,842 13,402
5 3 Citroen C3 II 59,627 53,376
6 15 Peugeot 2008 54,161 28,012
7 4 Renault Scenic III 49,068 50,968
8 21 Citroen C4 II Picasso 45,339 23,474
9 5 Renault Megane III 44,791 43,070
10 6 Dacia Sandero 44,357 42,841
11 8 Volkswagen Polo 40,407 39,068
12 18 Dacia Duster 40,167 25,879
13 10 Peugeot 3008 37,970 38,427
14 12 Volkswagen Golf VII 37,131 35,148
15 14 Nissan Qashqai 30,024 28,379
16 9 Renault Twingo II 27,452 39,032
17 13 Toyota Yaris 27,234 29,207
18 11 Citroen C4 II 26,158 36,244
19 17 Ford Fiesta 24,916 26,118
20 28 Fiat 500 22,099 19,006

Source: CCFA / AA Data

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars in France in 2014

The list of the top 10 most popular car models in France in 2014 was once again led by the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208. These were also the only two car models that managed to maintain their exact rank positions from a year ago.

The Renault Clio IV has been France’s top-selling car model since its launch in 2012. In 2014, Clio sales in France increased by just over 2,000 cars compared to a year ago.

The Peugeot 208 has been the second most-popular car model in France since its full year in production in 2013. In contrast to the Clio, sales of the small Peugeot were down nearly 6,000 cars compared to a year ago.

Sales of the Renault Captur increased sharply in 2014 making it France’s third best-selling car compared to seventh a year ago.

The Peugeot 308 II shot up from 33rd to 4th but this is largely due to the practice in France of listing cars according to the model and not just the model name. A year ago, the Peugeot 308 was the 7th most popular car model and when sales of the 308 and 308 II were added together, the model would have been in fourth place overall.

Although sales of the Citroen C3 were higher in 2014 than a year ago, the model slipped two places from third to fifth.

The Peugeot 2008 continued to improve and with almost double the sales from a year ago entered the top 10 list at sixth place from 15th a year ago.

Sales of the Renault Scenic were flat but the model dropped three places from 4th to 7th.

The Citroen C4 Picasso entered the top 10 list at 8th from 21st a year ago but this is again largely due to a new model being counted separately from it predecessor a year ago.

Although sales of the Renault Megane were stronger in 2014, the model slipped to 9th from 5th a year ago. In 2012, the Megane was the second most-popular car model in France, missing out on the top slot by only a few hundred units.

The Dacia Sandero similarly slipped four positions from a year ago despite selling more cars in 2014 than in 2013.

Top 20 Most-Popular Car Models in France in 2014

The VW Polo was again the best-selling foreign branded car model in France in 2014. However, the Polo slipped out of the top-ten list, where it has been the 8th most-popular car model for the previous two years.

The Dacia Duster saw sales increased strongly allowing it to move up from 18th to 12th most-popular car in France in 2014; a position it also held in 2012.

Despite sales slipping only marginally, the Peugeot 3008 has slipped out of the top 10 list in 2014 – it was 10th in 2013 and 9th in 2012.

Sales of the Volkswagen Golf – Europe’s favorite car model – continued to increase in France in 2014. However, the Golf lost two rank places from a year ago.

The Nissan Qasqai – the most popular Japanese car in France in 2014 – similarly slipped one position despite stronger sales.

The Renault Twingo II slipped from 9th a year ago to 16th largely due to a model change. The Twingo III has been selling well since its launch towards the end of 2014 and is the car most likely to reenter the top-ten list next year.

The Toyota Yaris, Citroen C4 and Ford Fiesta all had weaker sales in France in 2014 and all lost rank position but remained amongst the top 20 most popular cars in France.

The Fiat 500 was the only truly new model on the top-20 list – up from 28th a year ago. It replaced the DS3 that slipped to 24th.

The other two top-20 cars from a 2013 no longer on the list are the Peugeot 207 and Peugeot 208 – both cars were replaced by new models.

See also: Top Selling Carmakers and Brands in France in 2014 for more details on the French new passenger vehicle market.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.