2026 (Q1 & March) Europe: Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands

2026 (Q1 & March): Volkswagen, Stellantis, and Renault were the best-selling car manufacturing groups in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK), with VW and Skoda the top brands.

During the first quarter of 2026, and in March 2026, the Volkswagen Group was again the largest car producer in Europe (European Union, EFTA, and UK), followed by Stellantis and Renault. Despite weaker sales, VW remained the top-selling brand in Europe, while strong sales moved Skoda into the second place for the first time ever. The Renault Clio was the best-selling car model in Europe during 2026 Q1 while the Tesla Model Y was Europe’s favorite car model in March 2026. The European new car market expanded by 4.1% to 3,521,110 cars in the first quarter of 2026, with all-electric car sales taking a record 20.6% market share.

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

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2026 (Q1 & March)

The best-selling car manufacturing groups in Europe during the first quarter of 2026, according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA, were:

Brand	2026/Q1	2025/Q1	% Change	March 2026	March 2025	% Change
EU+EFTA+UK	3,521,110	3,382,334	4.1	1,581,169	1,423,021	11.1
Volkswagen Group	891,119	879,159	1.4	378,826	361,544	4.8
– Volkswagen	347,708	366,072	-5	146,910	148,388	-1
– Skoda	222,528	192,339	15.7	92,145	77,898	18.3
– Audi	171,430	161,524	6.1	75,066	66,141	13.5
– Cupra	69,974	74,143	-5.6	32,428	33,108	-2.1
– Seat	55,279	57,338	-3.6	22,243	23,788	-6.5
– Porsche	21,546	25,263	-14.7	8,852	11,095	-20.2
– Others	2,655	2,480	7.1	1,183	1,126	5.1
Stellantis	563,490	525,296	7.3	228,055	215,195	6
– Peugeot	174,145	189,264	-8	69,960	77,813	-10.1
– Opel/Vauxhall	115,205	97,762	17.8	50,285	44,141	13.9
– Citroen	108,751	92,671	17.4	43,665	34,437	26.8
– Fiat	101,749	77,700	31	37,962	31,117	22
– Jeep	37,525	37,895	-1	15,456	15,491	-0.2
– Alfa Romeo	14,411	17,096	-15.7	6,000	7,307	-17.9
– DS	6,771	8,172	-17.1	2,864	3,110	-7.9
– Lancia/Chrysler	4,072	3,526	15.5	1,513	1,319	14.7
– Others	861	1,210	-28.8	350	460	-23.9
Renault Group	318,788	344,166	-7.4	143,997	139,308	3.4
– Renault	189,544	188,901	0.3	84,565	81,766	3.4
– Dacia	126,157	153,256	-17.7	57,904	56,753	2
– Alpine	3,087	2,009	53.7	1,528	789	93.7
Hyundai Group	260,018	267,297	-2.7	116,827	110,734	5.5
– Kia	140,100	138,432	1.2	63,420	60,586	4.7
– Hyundai	119,918	128,865	-6.9	53,407	50,148	6.5
BMW Group	244,108	236,615	3.2	111,598	96,742	15.4
– BMW	199,642	196,102	1.8	91,256	80,673	13.1
– Mini	44,466	40,513	9.8	20,342	16,069	26.6
Toyota Group	238,018	244,621	-2.7	98,821	94,430	4.7
– Toyota	219,664	223,764	-1.8	90,843	86,772	4.7
– Lexus	18,354	20,857	-12	7,978	7,658	4.2
Mercedes-Benz	166,200	162,595	2.2	74,679	74,484	0.3
Ford	100,056	117,134	-14.6	45,031	48,127	-6.4
Nissan	88,641	100,569	-11.9	47,796	51,306	-6.8
SAIC Motor	81,128	78,332	3.6	39,948	38,759	3.1
Volvo Cars	78,745	83,008	-5.1	36,883	35,673	3.4
Tesla	78,336	54,071	44.9	52,600	28,544	84.3
BYD	73,847	28,903	155.5	37,580	15,175	147.6
Mazda	48,667	43,939	10.8	26,295	21,330	23.3
Suzuki	47,964	49,943	-4	21,352	20,081	6.3
Jaguar Land Rover Group	39,818	41,430	-3.9	22,352	22,550	-0.9
– Land Rover	39,811	38,824	2.5	22,352	21,422	4.3
– Jaguar	7	2,606	-99.7	0	1,128	-100
Honda	21,805	21,075	3.5	11,828	10,746	10.1
Mitsubishi	7,712	12,536	-38.5	3,644	5,596	-34.9
Source: ACEA

*NOTE: Exclude others and small brands

Top Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2026 (Q1)

The Volkswagen Group lost some market share but remained by far Europe’s largest carmaker during the first quarter of 2026. While Volkswagen brand sales were down 5%, the larger group increased sales by 1.4% for a 25.3% of the total European new car market during the first three months of 2026. Skoda sales were sharply up.

Stellantis, in contrast, gained market share. Peugeot sales were weaker, but Opel / Vauxhall, Citroen, and Fiat made strong gains.

European sales of the Renault Group were weaker, with Dacia struggling.

Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in 2026 (Q1)

The best-selling car brands in Europe during the first quarter of 2026, according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA, were:

R	Brand	Jan-Mar 2026	Jan-Mar 2025	% Change
1	– Volkswagen	347,708	366,072	-5
2	– Skoda	222,528	192,339	15.7
3	– Toyota	219,664	223,764	-1.8
4	– BMW	199,642	196,102	1.8
5	– Renault	189,544	188,901	0.3
6	– Peugeot	174,145	189,264	-8
7	– Audi	171,430	161,524	6.1
8	– Mercedes-Benz	166,200	162,595	2.2
9	– Kia	140,100	138,432	1.2
10	– Dacia	126,157	153,256	-17.7
11	– Hyundai	119,918	128,865	-6.9
12	– Opel/Vauxhall	115,205	97,762	17.8
13	– Citroen	108,751	92,671	17.4
14	– Fiat	101,749	77,700	31
15	– Ford	100,056	117,134	-14.6
16	– Nissan	88,641	100,569	-11.9
17	– SAIC Motor (MG)	81,128	78,332	3.6
18	– Volvo Cars	78,745	83,008	-5.1
19	– Tesla	78,336	54,071	44.9
20	– BYD	73,847	28,903	155.5
	Source: ACEA

Top 20 Car Brands in Europe in 2026 (Q1)

Volkswagen remained the largest car brand in Europe, but sales were down 5% and market share dropped by nearly a percentage point to 9.9%. Skoda was the most improved top ten brand and became the second largest car brand in Europe during the first quarter of 2026.

Toyota sales were slightly weaker, while BMW and Renault sales were flat and below the market average.

Peugeot sales were sharply down. Of the top ten brands in Europe, only Dacia performed worse.

The most improved top 20 car brands in Europe during the first quarter of 2026 were BYD (+155.5%) and Tesla, which again had strong sales in the final month of the quarter. (Tesla sales were still around 10,000 fewer than in 2024 Q1.) The worst-performing top brands in Europe were Dacia, Ford, and Nissan.