In 2013, new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe contracted by 1.7% to below 12 million cars. Germany and Britain were the largest markets in the EU.
In 2013, car sales in the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) declined by 1.8% to 12,308,215 vehicles. Germany remained the largest single-country market in Europe but Britain was the only major car market to have seen a marked increase in in new passenger vehicle registrations in 2013.
The European Car Market in 2013
The European Union car market contracted by 1.7% during 2013 to 11,850,905 new passenger vehicle registration. If the EFTA member countries are added, the market contracted by 1.8% to 12,308,215 cars.
2013 marked the sixth consecutive year of passenger vehicle market contraction in Europe. It was the worst year for the EU15 since 1995 and the worst for the EU since the current statistical series started in 2003.
Although the European car market contracted over the full twelve-month period of 2013, the market did markedly better during the second half of the year. Mid-year 2013, the European car market was still down 6.6% while the first quarter of 2013 saw a contraction of 9.7%. By Q3, the European car market was down 3.9% with positive growth every month (year-on-year) since September 2013.
The 2014 predictions are for 2% growth in the European car market.
Car Sales per European Union & EFTA Countries in 2013 (Full Year)
New passenger vehicle registrations in the respective EU and EFTA countries according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA were:
| 2013 | 2012 | % Change | |
| AUSTRIA | 319’035 | 336’010 | -5.1 |
| BELGIUM | 486’065 | 486’737 | -0.1 |
| BULGARIA | 19’352 | 19’419 | -0.3 |
| CYPRUS | 7’102 | 10’967 | -35.2 |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | 164’736 | 174’009 | -5.3 |
| DENMARK | 182’198 | 170’813 | +6.7 |
| ESTONIA | 19’500 | 17’267 | +12.9 |
| FINLAND | 103’450 | 111’258 | -7.0 |
| FRANCE | 1’790’456 | 1’898’760 | -5.7 |
| GERMANY | 2’952’431 | 3’082’504 | -4.2 |
| GREECE | 58’694 | 58’482 | +0.4 |
| HUNGARY | 56’139 | 53’059 | +5.8 |
| IRELAND | 74’303 | 79’574 | -6.6 |
| ITALY | 1’303’534 | 1’403’010 | -7.1 |
| LATVIA | 10’637 | 10’664 | -0.3 |
| LITHUANIA | 12’152 | 12’170 | -0.1 |
| LUXEMBURG | 46’624 | 50’398 | -7.5 |
| NETHERLANDS | 417’036 | 502’479 | -17.0 |
| POLAND | 289’913 | 272’719 | +6.3 |
| PORTUGAL | 105’921 | 95’309 | +11.1 |
| ROMANIA | 57’710 | 66’436 | -13.1 |
| SLOVAKIA | 66’000 | 69’268 | -4.7 |
| SLOVENIA | 50’878 | 48’648 | +4.6 |
| SPAIN | 722’703 | 699’589 | +3.3 |
| SWEDEN | 269’599 | 279’899 | -3.7 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 2’264’737 | 2’044’609 | +10.8 |
| EUROPEAN UNION (EU27)* | 11’850’905 | 12’054’057 | -1.7 |
| ICELAND | 7’274 | 7’930 | -8.3 |
| NORWAY | 142’151 | 137’967 | +3.0 |
| SWITZERLAND | 307’885 | 328’139 | -6.2 |
| EFTA | 457’310 | 474’036 | -3.5 |
| EU27*+EFTA | 12’308’215 | 12’528’093 | -1.8 |
Car Sales in European Countries in 2013 (Full Year)
In 2013, Germany remained the largest car market in Europe but the 4.2% contraction dragged the whole European market down. Car sales in Germany slipped below 3 million cars and in the European Union to below 12 million passenger vehicles.
Car sales in the United Kingdom continued to grow strongly in 2013 with the British car market expanding by more than a tenth. The British market is now comfortably ahead of the French car market, which continued to shrink. The Italian car market similarly contracted further in 2013. A tax increase in Italy in October came without warning and did not allow many buyers to move purchases forward.
The Spanish market turned positive again in 2013 but with incentives running out, it is as yet unclear whether the upturn will continue in 2014. The Belgian car market was flat but with the Dutch market very weak managed to slip into sixth place in Europe. Car sales in The Netherlands were very strong at the end of the year partly to avoid higher taxes payable from 2014 – over the full year only Cyprus performed worse.
A few further interesting statistics:
- Estonia and Portugal had the strongest growth in 2013 but it is really Britain that provided the unit increases.
- The car market in Cyprus contracted by more than a third in 2013 but the biggest damage was done by weakness in Germany, France and Italy where each market lost around 100,000 car sales compared to a year ago.
- The Greek market showed growth for the first time in years but in 2013 was about a fifth the size of the market in 2007.
Volkswagen was again the largest car manufacturer and brand in Europe in 2013 with the VW Golf the most popular car model.