2016 (January to June) Europe: Car Sales Per EU Country

Jeeps at Geneva Auto Show 2016June 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

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.