2020 (Full Year) France: Top 30 Best-Selling Car Models

In full-year 2020, the Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio were again the best-selling car models in France. French models dominated the top-ten list.

The Renault Zoe was the best-selling battery-electric vehicle in France in 2020. In full-year 2020, the Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio were again the best-selling car models in France.

In 2020, the Peugeot 208 II was the top-selling car model in France but the Renault Clio nameplate (models IV and V combined) was still the best-selling car model name. French brands dominated the top-ten list with the Toyota Yaris at eleventh again the favorite imported car model of the French in 2020. The Renault Zoe was the best-selling battery-electric vehicle in France in 2020. The French new car market contracted by a quarter in full-year 2020.

Latest French Car Sales Statistics — 2023: Market Overview, Brands, Models; 2022, 2021, 2020.

Top 30 Best-Selling Car Models in France in 2020 (Full Year)

The thirty best-selling car models in France in 2020 according to car sales statistics data released by the CCFA were:

Brand and ModelSold in 2020% Share
1PEUGEOT 208 II92 7965,6%
2RENAULT CLIO V84 0315,1%
3PEUGEOT 2008 II66 6984,0%
4CITROEN C3 III58 5473,5%
5RENAULT CAPTUR II54 5973,3%
6DACIA SANDERO53 3543,2%
7PEUGEOT 3008 II45 1652,7%
8RENAULT TWINGO III43 1162,6%
9RENAULT ZOE37 4092,3%
10PEUGEOT 308 II36 5752,2%
11TOYOTA YARIS33 4552,0%
12DACIA DUSTER 230 2601,8%
13CITROEN C3 AIRCR.30 1651,8%
14RENAULT MEGANE IV28 9801,8%
15CITROEN C5 AIRCR.26 5771,6%
16OPEL CORSA22 4101,4%
17VOLKSWAGEN POLO VI21 4931,3%
18PEUGEOT 5008 II20 0501,2%
19RENAULT KADJAR19 6791,2%
20FIAT 50017 4501,1%
21FORD FIESTA VII16 2901,0%
22PEUGEOT 10815 8331,0%
23FORD PUMA15 6040,9%
24TOYOTA COROLLA15 1100,9%
25VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC14 8980,9%
26MERCEDES CLASSE A14 8930,9%
27TOYOTA C-HR14 4060,9%
28MINI MINI III14 1190,9%
29HYUNDAI KONA13 3140,8%
30FIAT PANDA III13 2010,8%
Source: CCFA

The CCFA statistics are for a specific car model not just the name plate. When new car models are introduced during the calendar year, the sales for the older and new models are counted separately. Whereas the Peugeot 208 II was the clear top-selling car model in 2020, the Renault Clio was second with the fifth generation and 34th with the remaining stock of the fourth generation.

A few further interesting statistics, other than the top-ten considered below, included:

  • The Toyota Yaris was in 2020 for the second consecutive year the favorite imported car model of the French. It again just missed out on a top-ten placing.
  • The Opel Corsa, now based on the Peugeot 208 platform, outsold the VW Polo, which previously was often the top-selling imported car in France.
  • The Fiat 500 was the top-selling Italian car model in France.

Top-Ten Car Model Names in France in 2020 (Full Year)

Combining the sales of the older and newer model generation vehicles, the top-ten best-selling car model names in France in the full calendar year 2020 were:

Car Make & ModelSold 2020Sold 2019Sold 2018Sold 2017Sold 2016
1Renault Clio95,943131,507123,658117,541112,152
2Peugeot 20892,796105,589102,39597,66397,830
3Peugeot 200866,69859,21866,28467,97965,986
4Citroen C358,54780,75777,93767,27651,843
5Renault Captur54,59770,65567,39668,77370,769
6Dacia Sandero53,35469,34370,07761,48156,199
7Peugeot 300845,16572,94084,83474,297
8Renault Twingo43,11650,72446,37239,02240,793
9Renault Zoe37,40918,817
10Peugeot 30836,57556,43563,21866,16375,509
Souce: CCFA

Of the top best-selling car models in France in 2020, the Renault Clio was the only model name with sufficient sales of two generations to enter the top 100 separately. The Renault Clio thus remained only just ahead of the Peugeot 208 in sales in France in 2020.

The Peugeot 208 narrowed the gap to the Renault Clio in France from over 25,000 cars in 2019 to just more than 3,000 in 2020. The Peugeot 208 was helped by electric car sales. Renault is not selling an electric Clio but the electric-only Renault Zoe was the ninth best-selling car model overall in France in 2020.

The Renault Zoe remained the top-selling electric car model in France in 2020. It was the only new entrant on the top-ten list and improved from 30th a year ago. The Zoe was only the second new model in the top-ten in France since 2016, although the rank order outside the top two frequently changed.

It is not possible to determine from the initial CCFA statistics the number of electric cars sold of models such as the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa but other battery-electric-only vehicles in the top 100 in France in 2020 included amongst others the Tesla Model 3 at 64th and the Volkswagen ID3 at 90th.

The Dacia Duster was the only model on the top-ten list in France last year failing to make the list in 2020. Dacia (-30%) generally struggled in France in 2020 but should benefit in 2021 from new model launches.

See also market overview and best-selling car brands in France in 2020.

Latest French Car Sales Statistics — 2023: Market Overview, Brands, Models; 2022, 2021, 2020.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.