2023 (Half Year) Europe: Car and BEV Sales by Country (EU, UK, EFTA)

First semester 2023: new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA and UK) increased by 17.6% with battery-electric car sales up in every European country during the first half of the year.

Car sales in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) recovered by nearly 18% during the first six months of 2023 with almost all countries experiencing growth. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales increased by 45% to take a 14.2% share of the European new car market in the first half of 2023. Germany remained by far the largest single-country car market in Europe followed by Britain, France, Italy, and Spain. The top markets for electric cars were Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands. Volkswagen remained the top carmaker and brand in Europe and the Tesla Model Y the top-selling car model during the first six months of 2023.

Latest European Car Market Statistics 2023: By Country, Brands, Models, Electric Models and months: January, February, Q1, April, May, June (HY), July, August, September, Q3, October; 2022, 2021 & 2020.

European New Car Market in 2023 (First Half Year)

During the first half of 2023, new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (including the European Union, EFTA countries, and the United Kingdom) increased by 17.6% to 6,588,937 cars compared to 5,601,386 cars sold during the first semester of 2022 and 6,486,351 cars during the first six months of 2021.

In the EU only, in the first half of 2023, new car registrations increased by 17.9% to 5.4 million units according to the ACEA. The recent months’ improvements indicated that the European automotive industry is recovering from supply disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, cumulative volumes are 21% lower compared to 2019. Most of the region’s markets grew significantly in the first six months of 2023, including the four largest ones: Spain (+24.0%), Italy (+22.8%), France (+15.3%), and Germany (+12.8%). Sales were only lower in Norway, Sweden, and Hungary.

Car sales in the EU have been increasing every month since August 2022 but there is increasing worry in the industry that backorders from the supply crisis in 2022 are being fulfilled and that demand will be lower towards the end of the year.

Battery-electric car sales took a 14.2% share of the new car market in Europe during the first half of 2023. All countries registered an increase in BEV sales with Norway, where battery-electric cars already have an 83% share of the total new car market, showing the slowest increase.

For full-year 2023, the VDA predicts that the European new car market will grow by 9% to around 12.3 million vehicles. 

Car Sales Per Country in Europe in 2023 (First Half)

Car sales per European country (EU, EFTA, and UK) during the first six months of 2023 according to the ACEA were:

Country	HY 2023	HY 2022	% 23/22
EU + EFTA + UK	6,588,937	5,601,386	17.6
Austria	126,690	108,606	16.7
Belgium	264,475	195,387	35.4
Bulgaria	17,633	14,539	21.3
Croatia	33,435	22,869	46.2
Cyprus	7,642	6,133	24.6
Czech Rep	115,548	98,914	16.8
Denmark	84,344	73,518	14.7
Estonia	12,131	11,074	9.5
Finland	46,873	43,500	7.8
France	889,776	771,980	15.3
Germany	1,396,870	1,237,975	12.8
Greece	70,362	54,798	28.4
Hungary	56,467	57,407	-1.6
Ireland	77,496	65,211	18.8
Italy	840,750	684,393	22.8
Latvia	9,903	8,141	21.6
Lithuania	14,680	13,982	5.0
Luxembourg	26,494	21,812	21.5
Malta	3,970	3,342	18.8
Netherlands	201,792	153,697	31.3
Poland	238,672	212,405	12.4
Portugal	110,155	75,743	45.4
Romania	73,645	58,712	25.4
Slovakia	45,457	39,953	13.8
Slovenia	27,310	25,847	5.7
Spain	505,421	407,758	24.0
Sweden	140,663	144,182	-2.4
EUROPEAN UNION	5,438,653	4,611,878	17.9
Iceland	10,263	9,327	10.0
Norway	66,549	68,502	-2.9
Switzerland	123,752	109,600	12.9
EFTA	200,564	187,429	7.0
United Kingdom	949,720	802,079	18.4
EU + EFTA + UK	6,588,937	5,601,386	17.6

Electric Car Sales Per Country in Europe in 2023 (First Half)

Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales per European country (EU, EFTA, and UK) during the first six months of 2023 according to the ACEA were:

Country	BEV 2023	BEV 2022	% 23/22 BEV
EU + EFTA + UK	938,912	647,371	45.0
Austria	23,372	14,493	61.3
Belgium	43,578	17,187	153.6
Bulgaria	879	337	160.8
Croatia	920	458	100.9
Cyprus	308	138	123.2
Czech Rep	3,008	1,971	52.6
Denmark	26,173	12,156	115.3
Estonia	644	359	79.4
Finland	15,300	5,950	157.1
France	137,919	93,331	47.8
Germany	220,244	167,263	31.7
Greece	3,212	1,286	149.8
Hungary	2,865	2,265	26.5
Ireland	14,297	8,446	69.3
Italy	32,673	24,942	31.0
Latvia	901	411	119.2
Lithuania	1,009	586	72.2
Luxembourg	5,284	3,211	64.6
Malta	579	462	25.3
Netherlands	58,272	29,499	97.5
Poland	8,495	4,807	76.7
Portugal	17,074	7,737	120.7
Romania	6,998	4,460	56.9
Slovakia	1,086	664	63.6
Slovenia	2,164	1,060	104.2
Spain	23,893	14,335	66.7
Sweden	52,439	39,753	31.9
EUROPEAN UNION	703,586	457,567	53.8
Iceland	3,923	2,405	63.1
Norway	55,274	54,158	2.1
Switzerland	23,164	17,992	28.7
EFTA	82,361	74,555	10.5
United Kingdom	152,965	115,249	32.7
EU + EFTA + UK	938,912	647,371	45.0

Largest Country Car Markets in Europe in 2023 (Half Year)

Germany remained by far the largest car market in Europe during the first half of 2023 and the only country in Europe where new passenger vehicle registrations exceeded a million cars. The UK was the second largest car market followed by France.

New car sales increased faster in Italy and Spain compared to the three largest markets. Car sales in Belgium and the Netherlands increased by around a third with both countries also experiencing very high increases in electric car sales. While the Netherlands was only the eighth largest country car market in Europe thus far in 2023, it was the fourth largest market for battery-electric vehicles.

Volkswagen remained the largest carmaker in Europe during the first half of 2023 with the group increasing its market share to above a quarter and VW by far the largest car brand in the EU. The Tesla Model Y was the top-selling car model in Europe during the first six months of 2023.

Europe Car Sales Statistics

→  Latest European Car Sales Statistics

• Full-Year 2023: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Car Models
• Car Sales and Market Analysis 2023: January, February, Q1, April, May, June HY, July, August, September, October.
• 2023 (Q3): Car Sales by Country, Brands
• Half-Year 2023: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Models
• Full-Year 2022: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Models, Electric