June 2016 was the 34th consecutive month of car sales growth in the European Union with 2016 the strongest half year since 2008. During the first six months of 2016, new passenger vehicle registrations increased by 9.1% in the European Union (EU) and EFTA to just more than 8 million cars. Germany, the UK and France remained the largest markets while Italy and Spain were the fastest growing major country markets in Europe. Switzerland and the Netherlands were the only two countries in Europe with weaker car sales during the first half of 2016.
The European New Car Market in 2016 (First Half)
New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union and EFTA increased by 9.1% to 8,090,870 cars during the first six months of 2016. This was the strongest car sales in Europe during the first half of a year since 2008.
In the European Union (EU) car sales were up 9.4% to 7,842,965 vehicles. The Netherlands was the only EU country with weaker car sales during the first half of 2016 compared to the same six months in 2015.
Car Sales per European Union and EFTA Country in 2016 (First Half)
New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union and EFTA during the first six months of 2016 according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA were as follows:
| Jan – Jun 2016 | Jan – Jun 2015 | % Change | |
| AUSTRIA | 171,770 | 161,633 | 6.3 |
| BELGIUM | 309,607 | 288,424 | 7.3 |
| BULGARIA | 12,361 | 11,541 | 7.1 |
| CROATIA | 25,719 | 21,285 | 20.8 |
| CYPRUS | 6,793 | 4,842 | 40.3 |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | 132,778 | 113,261 | 17.2 |
| DENMARK | 116,853 | 104,900 | 11.4 |
| ESTONIA | 11,754 | 10,459 | 12.4 |
| FINLAND | 65,440 | 57,090 | 14.6 |
| FRANCE | 1,102,429 | 1,017,493 | 8.3 |
| GERMANY | 1,733,839 | 1,618,949 | 7.1 |
| GREECE | 47,413 | 43,142 | 9.9 |
| HUNGARY | 45,959 | 37,023 | 24.1 |
| IRELAND | 101,336 | 82,337 | 23.1 |
| ITALY | 1,041,854 | 874,381 | 19.2 |
| LATVIA | 8,850 | 6,865 | 28.9 |
| LITHUANIA | 10,706 | 8,563 | 25 |
| LUXEMBOURG | 28,315 | 25,681 | 10.3 |
| NETHERLANDS | 193,983 | 201,294 | -3.6 |
| POLAND | 210,728 | 177,772 | 18.5 |
| PORTUGAL | 118,631 | 100,661 | 17.9 |
| ROMANIA | 35,452 | 34,472 | 2.8 |
| SLOVAKIA | 43,954 | 37,173 | 18.2 |
| SLOVENIA | 34,980 | 31,850 | 9.8 |
| SPAIN | 623,234 | 555,222 | 12.2 |
| SWEDEN | 187,591 | 167,984 | 11.7 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 1,420,636 | 1,376,889 | 3.2 |
| EUROPEAN UNION | 7,842,965 | 7,171,186 | 9.4 |
| ICELAND | 12,119 | 8,778 | 38.1 |
| NORWAY | 77,749 | 74,392 | 4.5 |
| SWITZERLAND | 158,037 | 161,798 | -2.3 |
| EFTA | 247,905 | 244,968 | 1.2 |
| EU + EFTA | 8,090,870 | 7,416,154 | 9.1 |
Note: Excludes figures for Malta.
Car Sales in European Countries in 2016 (Half Year)
June 2016 marked the 34th consecutive month of increases in new passenger vehicle registration in the European Union and EFTA with the first six months of 2016 the best first half year since 2008.
Germany, the UK and France remained the three largest single-country markets in Europe but all three grew below the market average. In Britain, which in recent years was often the driving force behind car sales increases, new passenger vehicle registrations increased by only 3.2% – the fourth weakest performance.
In Italy, new car sales were up by nearly a third to just over a million new passenger vehicle registrations during the first six months of 2016. Italy only narrowly stayed behind France as the fourth largest car market in Europe. In the fifth largest European car market, Spain, sales were up by 12%.
New passenger vehicle registration increased the fastest in some of the smallest markets in Europe: Cyprus, Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania.
Only two countries had weaker car sales during the first half of 2016 compared to a year ago: The Netherlands and Switzerland.
See also: 2016 (First Half) Europe: Best-Selling Car Manufacturers, Brands and Models
