2023 (Q3) Europe: Car Sales Car Sales per EU, UK, and EFTA Country

2023 (Q1-Q3): New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, UK, EFTA countries) expanded by 17% with car sales highest in Germany, the UK, France, and Italy.

The European new car market (EU, UK, EFTA) expanded by a further 17% during the first three quarters of 2023 but total new passenger vehicle registrations are still a good 20% below levels recorded during the first nine months of 2019. All major countries registered double-digit growth thus far in 2023 with car sales lower in only Hungary and Norway. Germany remained by far the largest car market in Europe followed by the UK, France, Italy, and Spain. The Volkswagen Group remained the top carmaker in Europe with Volkswagen the best-selling car brand in Europe during the first three quarters 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 (Q3)

New passenger vehicle registrations in the European market (European Union, United Kingdom, and EFTA countries) increased by 17% during the first nine months of 2023 according to the ACEA. During the first three quarters of 2023, a total of 9,684,894 cars were registered in Europe compared to 8,277,642 during the same period in 2022.

All countries registered growth with the exception of Hungary and Norway.

Battery electric car sales in Europe thus far in 2023 increased by 46.9% to 1,472,457 cars compared to 1,002,509 BEVs in 2022 (Q1-3).

Car Sales in the European Union in 2023(Q3)

Car sales in Europe Union (EU) Q1- Q3 2023 by month

In the European Union (EU), the new passenger car market expanded by 16.9% to 7,940,749 vehicles in 2023 compared to 6,790,789 sold during the first three quarters of 2022. However, the EU new car market is still 20% below the pre-pandemic level of 10 million vehicles in 2019 (Q1-3).

Except for Hungary (-3.2%), all European Union countries recorded gains in car sales during the first nine months of 2023, including the four largest: Italy (+20.5%), Spain (+18.5%), France (+15.9%), and Germany (+14.5%). There is, however, considerable uncertainty in the market for the rest of the year with the German market especially showing signs of cooling down.

Car Sales in Europe by EU, UK, and EFTA Country in 2023 (Q3)

New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, UK, and EFTA) were as follows per country during the first nine months of 2023:

Country	1-9/2023	1-9/2022	% Change
Austria	182,886	163,209	12.1
Belgium	374,848	281,490	33.2
Bulgaria	27,382	21,975	24.6
Croatia	47,101	35,594	32.3
Cyprus	11,588	9,071	27.7
Czechia	167,564	143,843	16.5
Denmark	124,024	109,097	13.7
Estonia	17,454	16,181	7.9
Finland	68,575	62,918	9.0
France	1,288,624	1,112,067	15.9
Germany	2,138,066	1,867,885	14.5
Greece	104,510	82,735	26.3
Hungary	83,009	85,766	-3.2
Ireland	118,354	101,587	16.5
Italy	1,176,003	976,226	20.5
Latvia	14,593	12,636	15.5
Lithuania	21,494	20,574	4.5
Luxembourg	37,997	32,073	18.5
Malta	5,802	5,069	14.5
Netherlands	288,961	224,706	28.6
Poland	350,317	316,680	10.6
Portugal	153,356	114,344	34.1
Romania	110,711	95,276	16.2
Slovakia	67,804	58,106	16.7
Slovenia	38,377	36,758	4.4
Spain	711,380	600,283	18.5
Sweden	209,969	204,640	2.6
EUROPEAN UNION	7,940,749	6,790,789	16.9

Iceland	13,832	13,121	5.4
Norway	95,499	102,758	-7.1
Switzerland	182,906	162,606	12.5
EFTA	292,237	278,485	4.9

United Kingdom	1,451,908	1,208,368	20.2

EU + EFTA + UK	9,684,894	8,277,642	17.0
Source: ACEA