2026 (Q1): New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by 4.1% following strong car sales in March in all large European countries.
New car sales in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by 4.1% to just over 3.5 million new passenger vehicle registrations in the first quarter of 2026. European new car sales were up 11% in March 2026. Although Britain was the largest new-car market in Europe in March 2026, Germany remained by far the most important passenger-vehicle market in Europe during the first quarter of 2026. Battery-electric vehicle sales were sharply higher and gained market share. Volkswagen remained the largest carmaker and leading brand in Europe. The Renault Clio was the top-selling car in Europe during 2026 Q1, while the Tesla Model Y was Europe’s favorite car model in March 2026.
Latest European Car Market Statistics: 2026: January, February (electric), Q1 (electric); 2025 (Full Year): Market Overview, Sales by Country, Electric, Brands, Models.
European New Car Market in 2026 (March & Q1)
New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by 4.1% to 3,521,110 cars in the first quarter of 2026 (3,382,057 cars in 2025 Q1). In the European Union, new car sales were up by 4.0% to 2,822,616 vehicles in 2026 Q1 (2,715,008 vehicles in 2025 Q1).
The first quarter growth followed after strong car sales in most European countries in March 2026. The total European new car market expanded by 11.1% in March 2026 to 1,581,169 cars — up almost 160,000 cars from March 2025. In the EU, March 2026 sales were up an even stronger 12.5% to 1,158,316 cars.
European Electric New Car Market in 2026 (March & Q1)
In the first quarter of 2026, sales of battery-electric cars (BEV) increased by a strong 26.2% to 723,704 all-electric cars in Europe (573,500 in 2025 Q1) and by 32.5% in the EU to 546,937 electric cars (412,997 in 2025 Q1). Electric cars had a 19.4 share of the total European Union new car market during the first quarter of 2026 (15.2% in 2025 Q1).
In March 2026, all-electric car sales in the EU increased by 48.9% to 234,532 BEVs and in the larger European market by 41.7% to 344,064 BEVs.
New Car Sales per European Country in 2026 (March & Q1)
New passenger vehicle registrations per European country (EU, EFTA, UK) in March 2026 and the first quarter of 2026, according to new car sales statistics released by the ACEA, were:
| Country | 2026/Q1 | 2025/Q1 | % Δ Q1 | March 2026 | March 2025 | % Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 77,235 | 66,017 | 17.0 | 33,018 | 25,950 | 27.2 |
| Belgium | 113,805 | 120,939 | -5.9 | 43,733 | 40,184 | 8.8 |
| Bulgaria | 11,465 | 11,606 | -1.2 | 4,481 | 4,220 | 6.2 |
| Croatia | 16,895 | 15,145 | 11.6 | 8,064 | 6,428 | 25.5 |
| Cyprus | 3,670 | 4,450 | -17.5 | 1,232 | 1,601 | -23.0 |
| Czechia | 60,550 | 59,686 | 1.4 | 23,916 | 22,566 | 6.0 |
| Denmark | 43,703 | 37,420 | 16.8 | 18,968 | 14,981 | 26.6 |
| Estonia | 4,250 | 2,121 | 100.4 | 1,753 | 966 | 81.5 |
| Finland | 17,202 | 16,707 | 3.0 | 6,791 | 6,176 | 10.0 |
| France | 401,555 | 410,085 | -2.1 | 173,634 | 153,842 | 12.9 |
| Germany | 699,404 | 664,571 | 5.2 | 294,161 | 253,497 | 16.0 |
| Greece | 34,812 | 33,196 | 4.9 | 14,710 | 12,719 | 15.7 |
| Hungary | 36,455 | 32,904 | 10.8 | 17,443 | 13,199 | 32.2 |
| Ireland | 64,893 | 64,784 | 0.2 | 15,413 | 17,291 | -10.9 |
| Italy | 484,577 | 443,792 | 9.2 | 185,257 | 172,229 | 7.6 |
| Latvia | 4,993 | 4,777 | 4.5 | 2,040 | 2,036 | 0.2 |
| Lithuania | 9,571 | 8,935 | 7.1 | 4,145 | 3,567 | 16.2 |
| Luxembourg | 12,538 | 12,668 | -1.0 | 4,799 | 4,839 | -0.8 |
| Malta | 1,558 | 1,275 | 22.2 | 580 | 569 | 2.0 |
| Netherlands | 81,480 | 91,383 | -10.8 | 31,467 | 31,132 | 1.1 |
| Poland | 151,639 | 142,105 | 6.7 | 63,896 | 53,062 | 20.4 |
| Portugal | 64,059 | 58,545 | 9.4 | 26,679 | 24,578 | 8.5 |
| Romania | 27,275 | 33,692 | -19.0 | 10,383 | 9,922 | 4.6 |
| Slovakia | 20,042 | 20,377 | -1.6 | 8,300 | 7,567 | 9.7 |
| Slovenia | 16,501 | 14,672 | 12.5 | 6,535 | 5,285 | 23.7 |
| Spain | 300,529 | 279,409 | 7.6 | 130,340 | 116,733 | 11.7 |
| Sweden | 61,960 | 63,444 | -2.3 | 26,578 | 24,204 | 9.8 |
| EU | 2,822,616 | 2,714,705 | 4.0 | 1,158,316 | 1,029,343 | 12.5 |
| Iceland | 3,483 | 2,271 | 53.4 | 1,283 | 1,021 | 25.7 |
| Norway | 27,175 | 32,156 | -15.5 | 17,685 | 13,864 | 27.6 |
| Switzerland | 52,982 | 52,690 | 0.6 | 23,258 | 21,690 | 7.2 |
| EFTA | 83,640 | 87,117 | -4.0 | 42,226 | 36,575 | 15.5 |
| UK | 614,854 | 580,512 | 5.9 | 380,627 | 357,103 | 6.6 |
| EU+EFTA+UK | 3,521,110 | 3,382,334 | 4.1 | 1,581,169 | 1,423,021 | 11.1 |
| Source: ACEA |
In March 2026, the UK was the largest new car market in Europe, as is often the case due to the change in registration plate numbers. During the first quarter of 2026, Germany remained by far the largest car market in Europe.
The European new car market grew strongly in March 2026, with Luxembourg, Ireland, and Cyprus the only countries with weaker sales than in March 2025. Of the five largest markets, Germany had the strongest growth with sales up 16%.
During the first quarter of 2026, France was the only top-five market with weaker car sales. Italy and Spain were the most improved major European new car markets.