2018 (Full Year) France: Best-Selling Car Models

In 2018, the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 were again the top-selling car models in France.

The Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 easily maintained their positions as the favorite car models of the French in 2018. Both models sold in record numbers despite replacements being expected during 2019. Peugeot and Renault again dominated the top ten list of most popular car models in France in 2018 but for the first time two Dacia models were also amongst the top-selling cars in France. The VW Polo was again the top imported car model in France but slipped to only 13th most popular car model in 2018.

Best-Selling Car Models in France in 2018 (Full Year)

New passenger vehicle registrations in France in the full year 2018 (January to December) released by the CCFA showed the following as the top 25 best-selling car models in France in 2018:

Car Make & ModelSold 2018Sold 2017Sold 2016
1Renault Clio IV123,658117,541112,152
2Peugeot 208102,39597,66397,830
3Peugeot 3008 II84,83474,297–
4Citroen C3 III77,93767,27651,843
5Dacia Sandero70,07761,48156,199
6Renault Captur67,39668,77370,769
7Peugeot 200866,28467,97965,986
8Peugeot 308 II63,21866,16375,509
9Dacia Duster46,93137,04236,428
10Renault Twingo III46,37239,02240,793
11Renault Mégane IV45,43451,53645,776
12Citroen C3 Aircross43,7998,618–
13Volkswagen Polo36,95232,98540,155
14Toyota Yaris36,58831,41530,967
15Peugeot 5008 II31,12518,972–
16Renault Kadjar27,17631,52238,145
17Volkswagen Golf VII26,73630,54432,976
18Opel Corsa26,68922,95120,377
19Fiat 50025,44120,409–
20Ford Fiesta25,18713,63224,434
21Nissan Qashqai 223,72026,57024,520
22Renault Scenic IV23,42626,5377,201
23VW Tiguan II21,53925,28614,281
24Peugeot 10820,82217,060–
25Toyota C-HR20,20316,357–
26Souce: CCFA–––

Top Ten Best-Selling Car Models in France in 2018

In 2018, only five of the 25 best-selling car models in France were in the same rank position as a year ago. These included the top three favorite cars of the French: the Renault Clio, Peugeot 208 and Peugeot 3008.

The Renault Clio was not only the best-selling car model in France in 2018 but sold in higher numbers than ever. The current Renault Clio IV has been the favorite car of the French since its introduction in 2012. In contrast to most car models in France, sales of the Clio steadily increased despite the aging of the model to reach a new high of 123,658 cars in 2018.

In 2018, the Peugeot 208 also maintained its traditional second place in the top ten list of best-selling car models in France. The 208 has been in second since 2103, its first full year on sale in France. Sales of the Peugeot 208 also reached a new high in France in 2018 and exceeded 100,000 cars in a year for the first time ever.

Although the models were refreshed, both the Renault Clio and Peugeot 2018 are relatively old models and both are expected to relaunch on new platforms during 2019. The 208 will also share this new platform with Citroen and Opel Corsa models.

The Peugeot 3008 maintained its third place from a year ago and increased sales by more than 10,000 cars. Citroen C3 sales increased by similar numbers and two rank positions from a year ago.

The Dacia Sandero improved from 8th a year ago to 5th – the highest position ever for a Dacia in France. (Dacia passed VW to become the fourth largest car brand in France in 2018.)

The aging Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 each dropped two rank positions despite sales remaining relatively strong. The Peugeot 308 slipped on rank position.

The Dacia Duster entered the top-ten list in France for the first time ever while the Renault Twingo maintained its tenth place for the third consecutive year.

Top 25 Car Models in France in 2018

The Renault Megane slipped out of the top ten from 9th while the Citroen C3 Aircross improved from 64th to 12th in its first full year on sale in France. Only two Citroen models made it onto the top 25 list.

The Volkswagen Polo remained the favorite imported car of the French but slipped another rank position – the Polo was the 8th most popular car in 2013 but had been out of the top ten since 2014.

The Toyota Yaris was again the most-popular Japanese car in France. The Yaris maintained its 14th place and narrowed the gap to the Polo.

The Peugeot 5008 entered the top 20 list on its first full year on sale in France while sales of the Renault Kadjar slipped.

The Volkswagen Golf also continued to sell in lower numbers – it was the 11th most popular car in France in 2012 but sales were sharply down in 2018. The new Golf 8 is only expected towards the end of 2019.

The Opel Corsa improved two positions and the Fiat 500 entered the top 20 from 22nd a year ago. The Opel Corsa is now part of the French PSA Group and a new model based on the Peugeot 208 is expected during 2019. The Ford Fiesta also re-entered to top 20 – a model change last year kept numbers separate.

Cars dropping out of the top 20 in France in 2018 included the Nissan Qashqai (from 16th), Renault Scenic (17th) and the VW Tiguan (19). The Peugeot 108 and Toyota C-HR both entered the top 25 with stronger sales.

See also: 2018 (Full Year) France: Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands.