2014 (Half Year) Europe: Car Sales by EU Country

Car sales in European Union and EFTA countries grew by 6.5% during the first six months of 2014. Germany remained the largest auto market in Europe.

Volkswagen XL1 at the Geneva Auto Salon 2014

June 2014 saw the tenth month of consecutive growth in car sales in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries. During the first semester of 2014, new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe increased by 6.2% to 6,851,552 cars. Germany remained the largest single-country car market in Europe with the United Kingdom the fastest growing large market in the EU. Only four countries failed to register more new cars during the first six months of 2014 compared to the previous year.

The European Car Market in 2014 (Half Year)

During the first half of 2014, the car market in the European Union and EFTA countries expanded by 6.2% to 6,851,552 new passenger vehicle registrations. Car sales in the EU were up 6.5% to 6,622,996 cars. The European auto market added more than 400,000 cars compared to the first half of 2013.

June 2014 saw the tenth consecutive month of car sales increases in Europe. However, most monthly figures this year have mostly been flattered by the exceptionally weak sales a year ago and are still often the second lowest in over a decade.

Car Sales per European Union and EFTA Country in 2014 (Half Year)

New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union and EFTA countries during the first half of 2014 according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA were as follows:

First Half 2014 First Half 2013 % Change
AUSTRIA 166’607 171’204 -2.7
BELGIUM 287’203 289’873 -0.9
BULGARIA 10’332 8’971 15.2
CROATIA 20’396 15’384 32.6
CYPRUS 4’305 3’679 17
CZECH REPUBLIC 94’058 80’818 16.4
DENMARK 98’800 91’972 7.4
ESTONIA 10’590 10’282 3
FINLAND 59’132 56’557 4.6
FRANCE 958’752 931’476 2.9
GERMANY 1’538’268 1’502’630 2.4
GREECE 37’469 30’364 23.4
HUNGARY 32’992 27’167 21.4
IRELAND 65’705 53’264 23.4
ITALY 756’818 732’322 3.3
LATVIA 6’348 5’265 20.6
LITHUANIA 7’385 6’007 22.9
LUXEMBURG 27’145 26’409 2.8
NETHERLANDS 199’594 210’960 -5.4
POLAND 175’908 147’487 19.3
PORTUGAL 75’780 55’032 37.7
ROMANIA 31’225 24’549 27.2
SLOVAKIA 35’992 32’044 12.3
SLOVENIA 28’238 28’161 0.3
SPAIN 454’942 386’359 17.8
SWEDEN 151’747 128’900 17.7
UNITED KINGDOM 1’287’265 1’163’623 10.6
EUROPEAN UNION* 6’622’996 6’220’759 6.5
ICELAND 6’266 4’804 30.4
NORWAY 72’385 70’644 2.5
SWITZERLAND 149’905 156’305 -4.1
EFTA 228’556 231’753 -1.4
EU28*+EFTA 6’851’552 6’452’512 6.2
*Excluding Malta

Source:Β ACEA

Car Sales by EU and EFTA Countries in 2014 (First Semester)

Germany remained the largest single-country car market in Europe during the first six month of 2014 but growth was well below the market average with several months registering small decreases in new car sales.

In the UK, the second largest market in the EU, sales remain buoyant with June 2014 the 28thΒ consecutive month of car sales growth in Britain. The over 10% growth added more than 120,000 more cars during the first semester of 2014 compared to the first half of 2013. The UK thus accounted for over a quarter of the total increase in car sales in Europe during the first six months of 2014.

In both France and Italy the new car market expanded but well below the EU average. In contrast, sales in Spain were up by nearly 18% – the strongest growth of the top five European car markets.

The strongest growth during the first six months of 2014 was in Portugal, Croatia and Iceland with increases of over 30%. After a couple of dismal years, sales in Greece and Ireland were up nearly a quarter.

Only four countries saw new passenger vehicle registrations decline during the first semester of 2014 compared to the first half of 2013: The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium. The Dutch car market continued to contract – during the first half of 2012 and 2011, car sales in The Netherlands were around 330,000 cars.

Volkswagen continued to dominate the car sales statistics in Europe 2014 (First Half): the Volkswagen Group was the top manufacturer, Volkswagen the best-selling car brand and the VW Golf Europe’s favorite car model.

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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.