2026 (January) Europe: Car Sales and Market Analysis

by

2026 (January): new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) contracted, but BEV battery electric car sales increased.

2026 (January): new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) contracted, but BEV battery electric car sales increased. Volkswagen was the top-selling brand, but Skoda moved up into second place for the first time ever.

For the second consecutive year, new car sales in Europe, including the European Union, EFTA countries, and the UK, contracted during the first month of the year, while battery-electric car sales increased and gained market share. 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.

Latest European Car Market Statistics: 2026: January; 2025 (Full Year): Market Overview, Sales by Country, Electric, Brands.

European New Car Market in January 2026

New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) by month January 2026.

New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) contracted by 3.9% to only 799,625 cars in January 2026, compared to 831,945 cars sold in January 2025. New passenger vehicle registrations in the larger European region, including the EU, EFTA, and the UK, contracted by a more moderate 3.5% to 961,382 cars (996,016 in January 2025). January is usually the second weakest month, after August, for new car sales in Europe.

Of the five largest European car markets, both Germany and France had sales weaker by 6.6%, while sales increased in Britain (3.4%), Italy (6.2%), and Spain (1.1%). The weakest performance was in Norway (-76% — see BEV sales below), while of the medium-sized markets, sales were also sharply down in Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Car Sales by Power or Energy Source in Europe in January 2026

Car sales EU by power source and BEV in January 2026

Battery-electric car sales in the EU increased by 24.2% for a market share of 19.3% in January 2026. BEV sales in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by only 13.9% – a weak increase largely attributable to the weak Norwegian market.

A change in the tax regime in Norway led to electric car sales almost doubling in December 2025, followed by the expected collapse in sales in January 2026. This is a classic policy-driven pull-forward distortion, and the situation should normalize in coming months.

In Germany, the opposite is occurring, but with much higher volumes involved. There is finally some clarity on incentives for buying electric cars, and electric car sales increased by a quarter while the overall German new car market contracted by 6.6% in January 2026.

Electric car sales in France increased by a strong 52% to surpass Britain again and become the second-largest electric car market in Europe in January 2026. As is often the case at the start of a new calendar year, the total Italian new car market was larger than the French one, but electric car sales in Italy lagged well behind other important markets.

Car and BEV Sales Per European Country in January 2026

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

Market1/20261/2025Δ YoY %BEV 1/2026BEV 1/2025BEV Δ YoY %
Austria22,92920,44812.14,7023,82223.0
Belgium32,99740,594-18.712,13113,712-11.5
Bulgaria3,2183,995-19.418215517.4
Croatia3,9644,472-11.413869100.0
Cyprus1,2931,565-17.420314936.2
Czechia18,04319,347-6.7940981-4.2
Denmark12,80210,82818.210,6186,95552.7
Estonia1,359531155.97683-8.4
Finland5,4625,745-4.92,5051,64152.7
France107,157114,673-6.630,30719,92352.1
Germany193,981207,640-6.642,69234,49823.8
Greece10,08710,659-5.463352720.1
Hungary8,2879,126-9.278056438.3
Ireland34,54233,4993.17,3054,92348.4
Italy141,993133,6416.29,4236,69840.7
Latvia1,5101,34312.4998417.9
Lithuania2,8332,836-0.126616165.2
Luxembourg3,3393,718-10.29751,167-16.5
Malta55940338.61411382.3
Netherlands28,34732,624-13.17,16511,089-35.4
Poland40,28144,248-9.03,5441,121216.1
Portugal16,83914,50416.14,3413,26533.0
Romania7,92711,920-33.59741,164-16.3
Slovakia5,5916,605-15.434020367.5
Slovenia5,1415,0152.556844228.5
Spain73,10372,3341.16,4725,01229.1
Sweden16,04119,632-18.36,7105,66018.6
EUROPEAN UNION799,625831,945-3.9154,230124,20624.2
Iceland1,385595132.8181226-19.9
Norway2,2189,343-76.32,0848,954-76.7
Switzerland14,02714,788-5.12,9132,9100.1
EFTA17,63024,726-28.75,17812,090-57.2
United Kingdom144,127139,3453.429,65429,6340.1
EU + EFTA + UK961,382996,016-3.5189,062165,93013.9
Source: ACEA

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands in Europe in 2026 (January)

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

Manufacturer1/20261/2025% 26/25
Volkswagen Group256,728266,798-3.8
– Volkswagen100,228112,885-11.2
– Skoda64,96758,98910.1
– Audi48,98449,230-0.5
– Cupra18,78220,449-8.2
– Seat15,58316,562-5.9
– Porsche7,5147,950-5.5
– Others670733-8.7
Stellantis164,436154,1616.7
– Peugeot53,79955,432-2.9
– Opel/Vauxhall32,05428,43712.7
– Citroen31,03927,22714.0
– Fiat29,41523,61724.6
– Jeep10,48411,022-4.9
– Alfa Romeo4,2784,794-10.8
– DS1,8232,192-16.8
– Lancia/Chrysler1,2831,05222.0
– Others261388-32.7
Renault Group83,20197,890-15.0
– Renault50,60448,4664.4
– Dacia31,81948,953-35.0
– Alpine77847165.2
Hyundai Group72,89383,283-12.5
– Kia39,62241,762-5.1
– Hyundai33,27141,521-19.9
BMW Group66,19170,200-5.7
– BMW54,57459,751-8.7
– Mini11,61710,44911.2
Toyota Group69,13979,836-13.4
– Toyota63,80172,373-11.8
– Lexus5,3387,463-28.5
Mercedes-Benz43,70442,5312.8
Ford31,38536,117-13.1
Nissan20,57025,010-17.8
Volvo Cars20,36723,680-14.0
SAIC Motor (MG)19,25419,611-1.8
BYD18,2426,884165.0
Suzuki12,79314,808-13.6
Mazda11,02211,082-0.5
Jaguar Land Rover Group10,24311,243-8.9
– Land Rover10,23710,263-0.3
– Jaguar6980-99.4
Tesla8,0759,733-17.0
Honda4,6264,994-7.4
Mitsubishi2,2403,450-35.1
Source: ACEA

The Volkswagen Group remained the largest carmaker in Europe in January 2026, but except for Skoda, all brands, including VW, had weaker sales. In contrast, Stellantis gained market share with Opel, Citroen, and Fiat increasing sales by double digits.

Sales of the Renault Group were weaker, with Dacia sales down by a third. Hyundai, BMW, and Toyota all had weaker sales.

BYD almost tripled its sales and sold only about 1,000 fewer cars in Europe than the well-established SAIC (MG brand). Tesla had another weak month in Europe, while Jaguar found six cars somewhere to register for the first time in January 2026.

Europe Car Sales Statistics

→  Latest European Car Sales Statistics