2019 (Full Year) Europe: Best-Selling Car Models

In 2019, the top-selling car models in Europe were again the Volkswagen Golf, Renault Clio, VW Polo, and Ford Fiesta.

White VW e_Golf at Geneva 2019. In full-year 2019, the Volkswagen Golf was again the best-selling car model in the European Union (EU).

In full-year 2019, the Volkswagen Golf was again the best-selling car model in the European Union (EU). The Renault Clio was again the second-top-selling car in Europe followed by the VW Polo and Ford Fiesta. SUV models increased in popularity in Europe with the VW Tiguan Europe’s favorite SUV in 2019.

List of the 25 Top-Selling Car Models in Europe in 2019

The 25 best-selling car models in the European Union in 2019 according to JATO were:

2018	2019	Make & Model	Cars 2019	%18/19	Cars 2018	Cars 2017	Cars 2016
1	1	Volkswagen Golf	410,330	-8	445,754	483,105	492,952
2	2	Renault Clio	319,136	-5	336,268	327,395	315,115
3	3	Volkswagen Polo	256,259	-14	299,920	272,061	308,561
4	4	Ford Fiesta	228,183	-16	270,738	254,539	300,528
7	5	VW Tiguan	224,890	1	224,788	234,916	180,198
6	6	Peugeot 208	224,659	-2	230,049	244,615	249,047
11	7	Dacia Sandero	224,655	6	216,306	196,067	170,300
12	8	Renault Captur	224,127	5	214,720	212,768	217,105
15	9	Ford Focus	224,065	14	196,583	214,661	214,435
8	10	Skoda Octavia	223,416	0	223,352	230,116	230,255
10	11	Opel / Vauxhall Corsa	221,623	2	217,036	232,738	264,844
17	12	Dacia Duster	221,428	24	182,100	NA	NA
5	13	Nissan Qashqai	218,560	-6	233,026	247,939	234,340
13	14	Citroen C3	212,833	1	210,082	207,299	134,560
9	15	Toyota Yaris	212,526	-2	217,642	199,182	193,969
–	16	Volkswagen T-Roc	207,863	46	NA	NA	NA
23	17	Mercedes Benz A-Class	199,713	28	156,020	NA	NA
14	18	Peugeot 3008	195,211	-5	204,197	166,784	NA
20	19	Fiat Panda	184,288	9	168,697	187,322	191,617
16	20	Fiat 500	176,414	-7	191,205	189,928	183,730
18	21	Peugeot 2008	167,417	-7	180,204	180,868	NA
25	22	Ford Kuga	162,106	5	154,125	NA	NA
19	23	Skoda Fabia	157,853	-8	172,511	180,136	177,301
–	24	Mercedes Benz C-Class	146,023	-3	NA	176,705	176,551
24	25	Peugeot 308	143,470	8	155,925	NA	195,653
		Source: JATO

Ten Favorite Car Models in Europe in 2019

No Changes at the Top

In 2019, for the fourth consecutive year, the Volkswagen Golf, Renault Clio, VW Polo, and Ford Fiesta were the four most-popular car models in the European Union. All four sold in lower numbers than a year ago, while the overall European new car market expanded in 2019. The rest of the top 25 was a free for all with only the Peugeot 206 maintaining the same rank position as a year ago.

The VW Golf was again Europe’s favorite car model in 2019, as it has been since 2008. However, Golf sales were down by 8% to the lowest volume numbers since 2011. Golf sales were 35,000 cars lower than in 2018 and a massive 120,000 fewer than in 2015. Nevertheless, the Golf remained by far the top-selling car model in Europe in 2019.

VW Golf sales were hindered by a model change starting gradually from December 2019 with deliveries only really starting in 2020. The new Golf 8 will not have an electric version with the future of the Golf model name uncertain depending on the development of the electric car market and the ID3 model name.

Renault Clio sales were also lower in 2019 but the drop in sales less dramatic as for the other top models. A new Clio model was introduced during the year.

Sales of the VW Polo and Ford Fiesta were sharply down – both models sold over 300,000 cars in 2016, as well as in 2015 when the Fiesta was still the second-most-popular car model in Europe. Neither model can expect a boost from a newer version as updates are still years away.

Hotly Contested 5 to 10

The rest of the top-ten best-selling car models in Europe in 2019 was more hotly contested. Only 825 sales separated 5th and 9th.

The VW Tiguan moved up two rank positions from a year ago to replace the Nissan Qashqai as the most-popular SUV in Europe. SUVs took a record 38% market share in the European Union in 2019.

The Peugeot 208 maintained its sixth place from a year ago. The model was changed during 2019 and should expect strong sales in 2020. The Citroen C3 and Opel Corsa based on the same platform should also hope for gains in 2020.

Strong sales increases allowed the Dacia Sandero (11th to 7th) and Renault Captur (12th to 8th) to reach their highest rank positions to date. The Sandero missed out on sixth by only five cars.

However, the most-improved top-ten car in Europe was the Ford Focus that increased sales by 14% to reenter the top 10 list from 15th in 2018. The new Focus was well-received and sales at the highest level since 2015 when the Focus was the 6th best-selling car model in Europe.

The Skoda Octavia rounded out the top ten with sales up by 64 units from a year ago but dropping two rank positions nonetheless.

Other Top-Selling Car Models in Europe in 2019

The Opel / Vauxhall Corsa slipped out of the top ten but may receive a boost in 2020 with the new model based on a PSA platform. The Corsa was the 5th best-selling car model in Europe from 2013 to 2016 and was ranked even higher previously.

Dacia Duster sales increased by a quarter to improve five rank positions. In contrast, the Nissan Qashqai was a big loser in 2019 with sales down by 6% to slip from 5th to 13th despite SUVs in high demand in Europe.

The Qashqai was for years the top-selling SUV in Europe but the model was overtaken by the competition. Volkswagen, as often late to the trend but then in full force, sold over a million SUVs in Europe in 2019. The VW Tiguan was the favorite SUV in Europe in 2019 while the VW T-Roc became the 16th most-popular car model, as the only new model into the top 25. The smaller VW T-Cross is reportedly also selling well.

The top-selling “premium” car model in Europe was the Mercedes-Benz A-Class with sales up by 28% and improving from 23rd to 18th. Although sales were lower, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class reentered the top-25 after just missing out in 2018.

The two cars dropping out of the top-25 list of best-selling car models in Europe in 2019 were the VW Passat and the Opel / Vauxhall Astra. A new Astra based on a PSA platform is due in 2021.