In September 2015, car sales in Europe increased for the 25th successive month. New passenger vehicle registrations increased by 8.8% to 10,776,66 cars in the EU and EFTA during the first three quarters of 2015. During the first nine months of 2015, only four European countries registered weaker car sales while the largest European markets grew strongly.
The European Car Market in 2015 (Q3)
New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries increased by 8.8% to 10,776,666 cars during the first nine months of 2015. The increase means 850,000 more cars were sold during the first three quarters of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
In September 2015, car sales in the European Union increased for the 25th consecutive month when comparing sales to the same month in the previous year. The VW emission scandal broke only at the end of the month and its effect is likely to become only clearer during the final quarter of the year.
Car Sales Per European Union and EFTA Country in 2015 (Q3)
New passenger vehicle registration data released by the ACEA showed car sales in European Union and EFTA countries as follows during the first nine months of 2015:
Jan – Sep 2015 | Jan – Sep 2014 | %Change | |
AUSTRIA | 237,193 | 237,363 | -0.1 |
BELGIUM | 392,522 | 388,095 | 1.1 |
BULGARIA | 17,081 | 15,150 | 12.7 |
CROATIA | 28,349 | 27,394 | 3.5 |
CYPRUS | 7,559 | 6,343 | 19.2 |
CZECH REPUBLIC | 171,010 | 141,470 | 20.9 |
DENMARK | 155,083 | 141,992 | 9.2 |
ESTONIA | 15,662 | 15,964 | -1.9 |
FINLAND | 82,727 | 83,087 | -0.4 |
FRANCE | 1,421,435 | 1,337,315 | 6.3 |
GERMANY | 2,407,938 | 2,281,671 | 5.5 |
GREECE | 58,184 | 53,845 | 8.1 |
HUNGARY | 55,302 | 49,381 | 12 |
IRELAND | 121,103 | 93,151 | 30 |
ITALY | 1,196,270 | 1,037,388 | 15.3 |
LATVIA | 10,286 | 9,239 | 11.3 |
LITHUANIA | 12,864 | 11,071 | 16.2 |
LUXEMBURG | 36,027 | 38,147 | -5.6 |
NETHERLANDS | 301,826 | 284,047 | 6.3 |
POLAND | 258,240 | 245,042 | 5.4 |
PORTUGAL | 138,268 | 107,408 | 28.7 |
ROMANIA | 56,839 | 51,564 | 10.2 |
SLOVAKIA | 57,008 | 53,254 | 7 |
SLOVENIA | 45,468 | 40,569 | 12.1 |
SPAIN | 783,892 | 640,673 | 22.4 |
SWEDEN | 248,653 | 222,636 | 11.7 |
UNITED KINGDOM | 2,096,886 | 1,958,196 | 7.1 |
EUROPEAN UNION* | 10,413,675 | 9,571,455 | 8.8 |
ICELAND | 11,586 | 8,170 | 41.8 |
NORWAY | 111,811 | 107,104 | 4.4 |
SWITZERLAND | 239,594 | 219,136 | 9.3 |
EFTA | 362,991 | 334,410 | 8.5 |
 |  |  |  |
EU + EFTA | 10,776,666 | 9,905,865 | 8.8 |
*Data for Malta not available.
Car Sales in European Countries in 2015 (Q3)
During the first nine months of 2015, only four European countries had car sales weaker than during the first three quarters of 2014. Sales in Austria and Finland were only marginally weaker while the Estonian market remained very small. The worst performing new car market in Europe was the wealthy Luxembourg market where sales were down by 5.6%.
Iceland, Ireland and Portugal were the most-improved car markets in Europe during the first nine months of 2015. The large Spanish market expanded by more than a fifth while car sales in Italy increased by 15%.
Europe’s three largest single-country markets – Germany, Britain and France – all had solid growth but below the market average.
See also: 2015 (Q3) Europe: Best-Selling Car Manufacturers, Brands and Models – Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen and the VW Golf.