2026 (February) Europe: Car Sales and Market Analysis

2026 (February): new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased 1.4% while all-electric car sales in the EU were up by a fifth. The Renault Clio remained the best-selling car model.

For the second consecutive year, new car sales in Europe, including the European Union, EFTA countries, and the UK, contracted during the first two months of the year, while battery-electric car sales increased and gained market share. Although February 2026 sales were up 1.4%, the weak sales in January led to a 1% contraction for the first two months of the year. Germany remained the largest new car market in Europe. Volkswagen was the top-selling brand, but Skoda moved up into second place for the first time ever. Chinese car brands continued to make inroads, especially in battery-electric vehicle sales in Europe in 2026. The Renault Clio was the top-selling car model in Europe for the second consecutive month in February 2026.

Latest European Car Market Statistics: 2026: January, February (electric), Q1 (electric), April, May; 2025 (Full Year): Market Overview, Sales by Country, Electric, Brands, Models.

European New Car Market in 2026 (February)

New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) increased by 1.4% to 865,437 cars compared to 853,417 in February 2025. However, the weak sales of January meant that the year-to-date sales are down 1.2% to 1,664,680, or over 20,000 fewer cars than in the first two months of 2025.

New passenger vehicle registrations in the larger European region, including the EU, EFTA, and the UK, were up 1.7% in February 2025, largely due to the strong performance of the British new car market. Year-to-date 2026 car sales are 1% weaker than in 2025.

Car Sales by Power or Energy Source in Europe 2026

Battery-electric car sales in the EU increased by 20.6% to 158,280 cars in February 2026 for a market share of 18.3% in 2026. BEV sales in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by only 15.8%, largely due to a weakening of the Norwegian car market.

During the first two months of 2026, BEV sales in the EU increased by 22.3% (18.8% share) and by 14.8% (19.6% share) in the larger European region. Diesel sales were down to only 7.3% of the European new car market thus far in 2026.

Car Sales Per European Country in 2026 (February)

New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, and UK) in January and February 2026 were as follows, according to the ACEA:

Country	Car Sales Feb 2026	Car Sales Jan & Feb 2026	Car Sales Jan & Feb 2025	YTD △ %
Austria	21,288	44,217	40,067	10.4
Belgium	37,075	70,072	80,755	-13.2
Bulgaria	3,766	6,984	7,386	-5.4
Croatia	4,867	8,831	8,717	1.3
Cyprus	1,145	2,438	2,849	-14.4
Czechia	18,591	36,634	37,120	-1.3
Denmark	11,933	24,735	22,439	10.2
Estonia	1,138	2,497	1,155	116.2
Finland	4,949	10,411	10,531	-1.1
France	120,764	227,921	256,243	-11.1
Germany	211,262	405,243	411,074	-1.4
Greece	10,015	20,102	20,477	-1.8
Hungary	10,729	19,016	19,705	-3.5
Ireland	14,963	49,485	47,493	4.2
Italy	157,248	299,239	271,563	10.2
Latvia	1,443	2,953	2,741	7.7
Lithuania	2,593	5,426	5,368	1.1
Luxembourg	4,400	7,739	7,829	-1.1
Malta	521	1,080	706	53
Netherlands	22,380	50,366	60,251	-16.4
Poland	47,462	87,743	89,043	-1.5
Portugal	20,541	37,380	33,967	10
Romania	8,965	16,892	23,770	-28.9
Slovakia	6,151	11,742	12,810	-8.3
Slovenia	4,825	9,966	9,387	6.2
Spain	97,082	170,186	162,676	4.6
Sweden	19,341	35,382	39,240	-9.8
EUROPEAN UNION	865,437	1,664,680	1,685,362	-1.2
Iceland	815	2,200	1,250	76
Norway	7,272	9,490	18,292	-48.1
Switzerland	15,697	29,724	31,000	-4.1
EFTA	23,784	41,414	50,542	-18.1
United Kingdom	90,100	234,227	223,409	4.8
EU + EFTA + UK	979,321	1,940,321	1,959,313	-1
Source: ACEA

Germany remained the largest new-car market in Europe, but despite strong sales in February, it could not overcome the weak start to the year. Car sales in Italy were strong in both January and February, surpassing the struggling French market.

In February 2026, car sales in Spain were higher than in the UK. This is often the case with February sales being weak in the UK, while March is often the most important year for the British new car market due to a change in number plate letters.

Car sales were also weak in the Netherlands and Norway, which had a strong influence on battery-electric car sales in Europe due to the high market penetration in both of these countries.

BEV All-Electric Car Sales Per European Country in 2026

New all-electric passenger vehicle registrations (BEV sales) in Europe (EU, EFTA, and UK) in January and February 2026 were as follows, according to the ACEA:

Country	BEV Sales Feb 2026	BEV Sales Jan & Feb 2026	BEV Sales Jan & Feb 2025	YTD △ %
Austria	4,439	9,141	8,055	13.5
Belgium	11,677	23,808	26,752	-11
Bulgaria	215	397	281	41.3
Croatia	197	335	122	174.6
Cyprus	109	312	256	21.9
Czechia	958	1,898	1,718	10.5
Denmark	9,736	20,354	14,673	38.7
Estonia	65	141	142	-0.7
Finland	2,189	4,694	3,204	46.5
France	32,370	62,677	45,258	38.5
Germany	46,275	88,967	70,447	26.3
Greece	646	1,279	1,245	2.7
Hungary	856	1,636	1,254	30.5
Ireland	2,858	10,155	7,433	36.6
Italy	12,541	21,963	13,616	61.3
Latvia	91	190	164	15.9
Lithuania	214	480	262	83.2
Luxembourg	1,022	1,997	2,301	-13.2
Malta	112	251	184	36.4
Netherlands	6,805	13,839	21,257	-34.9
Poland	1,891	5,435	2,796	94.4
Portugal	4,732	9,073	7,211	25.8
Romania	934	1,908	1,888	1.1
Slovakia	242	582	479	21.5
Slovenia	567	1,135	809	40.3
Spain	8,889	15,362	11,124	38.1
Sweden	7,650	14,360	12,532	14.6
EUROPEAN UNION	158,280	312,369	255,463	22.3
Iceland	323	504	474	6.3
Norway	7,127	9,211	17,431	-47.2
Switzerland	3,113	6,026	6,312	-4.5
EFTA	10,563	15,741	24,217	-35
United Kingdom	21,840	51,494	50,878	1.2
EU EFTA UK	190,683	379,604	330,558	14.8
Source: ACEA

In both February 2026 and the first two months of the year, Germany, France, and Britain were the largest markets for all-electric cars in Europe. Electric car sales in Germany and France were sharply higher, while the British electric car market was stagnant.

All-electric car sales in Italy increased by more than 60% thus far in 2026, but the market share remained only 7.3%

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands in Europe in 2026

The top-selling car manufacturing groups and largest brands in Europe in February 2026 and year-to-date 2026, according to the ACEA, were as follows:

Carmaker (- Brand)	Sales Feb 2026	YTD 2026	YTD 2025	YTD △ %
Volkswagen Group	256,452	512,094	517,615	-1.1
– Volkswagen	100,401	200,720	217,684	-7.8
– Skoda	65,847	130,437	114,441	14
– Audi	47,539	96,272	95,383	0.9
– Cupra	18,732	37,476	41,035	-8.7
– Seat	17,486	33,060	33,550	-1.5
– Porsche	5,756	12,673	14,168	-10.5
– Others	691	1,455	1,354	7.5
Stellantis	170,816	335,426	310,133	8.2
– Peugeot	50,361	104,187	111,454	-6.5
– Citroen	34,034	65,089	58,268	11.7
– Opel/Vauxhall	32,855	64,912	53,611	21.1
– Fiat	34,319	63,786	46,586	36.9
– Jeep	11,515	22,067	22,404	-1.5
– Alfa Romeo	4,128	8,409	9,789	-14.1
– DS	2,084	3,907	5,062	-22.8
– Lancia/Chrysler	1,275	2,559	2,207	15.9
– Others	245	510	752	-32.2
Renault Group	91,619	174,806	204,858	-14.7
– Renault	54,393	104,995	107,135	-2
– Dacia	36,445	68,252	96,503	-29.3
– Alpine	781	1,559	1,220	27.8
Hyundai Group	70,661	143,457	156,562	-8.4
– Kia	37,058	76,680	77,846	-1.5
– Hyundai	33,603	66,777	78,716	-15.2
Toyota Group	67,631	139,396	150,191	-7.2
– Toyota	62,714	128,922	136,992	-5.9
– Lexus	4,917	10,474	13,199	-20.6
BMW Group	65,676	132,104	139,873	-5.6
– BMW	53,186	107,996	115,429	-6.4
– Mini	12,490	24,108	24,444	-1.4
Mercedes-Benz	43,786	87,490	88,111	-0.7
Ford	26,341	55,025	69,007	-20.3
Volvo Cars	21,375	41,763	47,335	-11.8
SAIC Motor	22,360	41,454	39,573	4.8
Nissan	20,314	40,894	49,263	-17
BYD	17,954	36,069	13,728	162.7
Suzuki	13,602	26,390	29,862	-11.6
Tesla	17,664	25,753	25,527	0.9
Mazda	11,299	22,349	22,595	-1.1
Jaguar Land Rover Group	7,223	17,466	18,880	-7.5
– Land Rover	7,222	17,459	17,402	0.3
– Jaguar	1	7	1,478	-99.5
Honda	5,351	9,977	10,329	-3.4
Mitsubishi	1,828	4,068	6,940	-41.4
Source: ACEA

Volkswagen remained the largest carmaker in Europe with a 26% share of all new cars sold in Europe thus far in 2026. A weak performance by VW brand was somewhat balanced by strong sales for Skoda.

Stellantis was the most improved of the large car manufacturing groups in Europe in both February and the first two months of 2026. Peugeot continued to struggle, but sales for Citroen, Opel, and especially Fiat were sharply up.

Most other carmakers had lower sales in Europe thus far in 2026. Renault struggled with the sales of Dacia sharply down. The Renault Clio was the top-selling car model in Europe for the second consecutive month.

The most improved brand was BYD, with sales up 162% and the Chinese brand improving to the 20th largest in Europe. Tesla sales increased by 12% in February but remained flat for the first two months of 2026.

Top Ten Car Brands in Europe in February 2026

The top ten car brands in Europe in February 2026, according to the ACEA, were:

R	Brand	Sales Feb 2026	Sales Feb 2025	% Change
1	– Volkswagen	100,401	104,799	-4.2
2	– Skoda	65,847	55,452	18.7
3	– Toyota	62,714	64,619	-2.9
4	– Renault	54,393	58,669	-7.3
5	– BMW	53,186	55,678	-4.5
6	– Peugeot	50,361	56,022	-10.1
7	– Audi	47,539	46,153	3
8	– Mercedes-Benz	43,786	45,580	-3.9
9	– Kia	37,058	36,084	2.7
10	– Dacia	36,445	47,550	-23.4

Volkswagen remained by far the largest car brand in Europe in February 2026 despite weaker sales. Skoda was the most improved car brand, with sales up nearly a fifth, or over 10,000 vehicles.

Skoda moved ahead of Toyota, Renault, BMW, and Peugeot, which all had weaker sales. Dacia was the weakest performer of the top ten brands, with sales down by almost a quarter.