2024 (September) Europe: Car Sales and Market Analysis

September 2024: new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) contracted but battery-electric car (BEV) sales were higher.

September 2024: new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) contracted but battery-electric car (BEV) sales were higher with the Tesla Model Y Europe's favorite car.
Tesla Model 3 – © Tesla Inc

The European new car market was 3% smaller in September 2024 than a year ago but year-to-date 2024 new car registrations in Europe are slightly higher than during the first nine months of 2024. Stellantis sales contracted by a quarter in September 2024. Volkswagen, Toyota, and Skoda were the best-selling car brands in Europe in September 2024 while the Tesla Model Y was the top-selling car model.

Latest European Car Market Statistics 2024 (Full Year): Market Analysis, Sales by Country, Electric, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models; 2023-2007.

European New Car Market in 2024 (September)

New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe in September 2024, according to JATO Dynamics, contracted by 3.4% to 1,119,320 new cars — around 40,000 fewer than were sold in September 2023. In September 2019, sales were 1,285,494 cars.

Year-to-date 2024, new car sales in Europe according to ACEA increased by 1% to 9,779,605 (up from 9,685,580).

Demand for battery electric vehicles (BEV) recovered in Europe in September 2024 with sales up 14% from September 2023 to a total of 212,197 cars. Year-to-date 2024, electric car sales of 1,43 million vehicles are still down 3% compared to the first nine months of 2023.

Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “It’s hard to say for certain whether BEVs will continue along this positive trajectory, but the monthly increase in registrations is welcome news – especially considering that consumers still have reservations about the adoption of electric cars.”

A change in German incentives for business buyers skewed electric car numbers in August and September 2023. A similar but unexpected ending to incentives to private buyers in December 2023 seems to still spook the German car-buying public.

Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in September 2024

The 25 top-selling car brands in Europe in September 2024 according to JATO were:

Volkswagen easily remained the best-selling car brand in Europe in September 2024 despite flat sales. Toyota was again the second-largest car brand in Europe with sales slightly stronger.

Skoda was the best-performing top-ten brand in Europe in September 2024 with sales up by a fifth to move into third place. BMW sales were higher while Mercedes-Benz sales were weaker.

Tesla sales recovered and were nearly a third higher. In contrast, Fiat, Citroen, and Opel performed dismally.

Top Carmakers in Europe

Much of the contraction in new car sales in Europe in September 2024 was due to very weak sales of the Stellantis group. While the Volkswagen Group continued to have a market share of the European new car market of mostly over 25%, Stellantis’s share has dropped from over 20% in 2020-2021 to below 15% in mid-2024.

Stellantis Volkswagen market share in new car sales in Europe in 2020 to September 2024

Stellantis sales in Europe in September 2024 were 25% lower compared to September 2023 – a drop of almost 50,000 new car sales. The company recorded a significant fall in sales in 22 of the 28 European markets, most notably in Italy (-34%) and France (-17%), its two main markets. Stellantis brands that experienced a steep decline in sales last month include Fiat (-43%), Citroen (-41%), and Opel/Vauxhall (-24%).

Munoz added: “Stellantis may see these results as an indicator that the time has come to refresh its offering and reposition its BEV lineup to ensure the downward trend doesn’t continue.”

Volkswagen Group recorded a 2% increase in volumes, largely due to the strong performance by Skoda. Other strong performances included Toyota (+4%), BMW Group (+6%), and Geely Group (+25%).

Best-Selling Car Models in Europe in September 2024

The 25 top-selling car models in Europe in September 2024 according to JATO were:

Despite slightly weaker sales, the Tesla Model Y regained the top position as Europe’s favorite car model in September 2024. The Renault Clio moved into second while the Dacia Sandero slipped to third. The Sandero remained the top-selling car in Europe during the first nine months of 2024.

The VW Tiguan was the most improved top ten brand largely due to a model update reaching the market in higher volumes. The Tesla Model 3 sales were up by over 300% and narrowly missed out on a top-ten placing.

Best-Selling Electric Car Models in Europe in September 2024

The best-selling electric car models in Europe in September 2024 according to JATO were:

The best-selling electric car models in Europe in September 2024

The Volkswagen Group was the leading battery-electric car maker in Europe in September 2024 (22.8% market share in September 2024 vs.19.8% in September 2023) followed by Tesla (20.9%, up from 18.2%), BMW Group (9.6%, up from 8.1%) and Geely Group (7.6%, up from 5.0%).

In contrast, Stellantis’ market share dropped to 10.6% in September 2024 compared to 14.8% in the corresponding month last year. Other makers that recorded a year-on-year decline in monthly market share include Mercedes (down from 8.1% to 6.3%), Hyundai-Kia (down from 7.5% to 6.0%), Renault Group (down from 5.5% to 3.7%) and SAIC (down from 6.3% to 3.2%).

Despite registrations of the Tesla Model Y falling by 1% last month compared to September 2023, the model led both the BEV and overall ranking last month. Registrations of Tesla models rose by 31% last month, driven by the success of the updated Model 3 – the second best-selling BEV last month. The Volkswagen ID.7 also performed well with close to 5,500 registrations. Other key players last month included the new Citroen e-C3 (over 3,600 units), as well as the Volvo EX30, the Ford Explorer EV, the Renault Scenic, the Mini Cooper, and the Peugeot e-3008.

Europe Car Sales Statistics

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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.