2014 (Full Year) Germany: Best-Selling Car Models

Volkswagen Golf at Geneva Auto SalonIn 2014, Germany’s top-selling car model was again the Volkswagen Golf followed by the VW Passat. The Polo took third place from the BMW 3 Series. Four of the top-ten most popular cars in Germany in 2014 were Volkswagens with a further two from the larger Volkswagen Group. The Skoda Octavia entered the top-ten list of the favorite cars of the Germans at the expense of the Opel Astra.

Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014 (Full Year)

The top 30 most popular car models in Germany in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration statistics released by the KBA were:

2013 Rank 2014 Rank Brand and Model Sales 2014 % Change 14 / 13 Sales 2013
1 1 VW GOLF 255,044 x 244,249
2 2 VW PASSAT 72,153 0.1 72,048
4 3 VW POLO 68,103 -0.4 68,343
5 4 AUDI A3, S3, RS3 65,199 6.9 60,978
6 5 VW TIGUAN 61,947 7.1 57,838
8 6 MERCEDES C-CLASS 60,350 15.1 52,433
3 7 BMW 3 SERIES 55,681 -19.9 69,486
10 8 OPEL CORSA 55,151 11.2 49,595
11 9 SKODA OCTAVIA 52,620 6.3 49,495
7 10 BMW 1 SERIES 50,250 -5.6 53,214
15 11 FORD FOCUS 49,494 8.8 45,485
13 12 AUDI A4, S4, RS4 48,278 -0.1 48,310
14 13 VW TOURAN 47,801 3.5 46,184
9 14 OPEL ASTRA 46,193 -8.2 50,322
17 15 FORD FIESTA 45,228 0.2 45,151
19 16 VW UP 40,902 -4.6 42,867
25 17 SEAT LEON 40,251 x 31,037
21 18 AUDI A6, S6, RS6, 39,596 x 40,813
18 19 BMW 5 SERIES 38,733 -12.9 44,468
22 20 SKODA FABIA 38,470 -2.7 39,549
20 21 MERCEDES E-CLASS 37,117 -9.8 41,159
12 22 MERCEDES A-CLASS 36,657 -25.2 49,034
16 23 MERCEDES B-CLASS 36,639 -19.4 45,455
23 24 MINI 33,183 -3.2 34,263
24 25 VW TRANSPORTER 30,796 x 32,684
26 26 VW CADDY 30,154 -2.0 30,777
29 27 FIAT 500 29,920 3.1 29,024
44 28 OPEL MOKKA 27,693 41.2 19,610
30 29 AUDI A1, S1 27,147 -0.4 27,267
48 30 FORD KUGA 25,751 38.3 18,616

Note: x indicates where a change in methodology for the 2014 figures makes a direct comparison impossible, e.g. up to 2013 the VW Golf and Jetta were counted together.

Top Ten Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014

Germany’s favorite car model in 2014 remained the Volkswagen Golf, as it has been every year since 1981. In 1980, the Mercedes E Class (W123) was the last car to have beaten the Golf to the top in Germany over a calendar year. Golf sales increased in Germany in 2014 but as the Golf and Jetta numbers were counted together up to 2013, the exact increase cannot be calculated. However, Jetta sales in Germany in 2014 were only 940 cars and were probably fairly similar in 2013.

In second place, selling less than a third as many cars as the Golf, was the VW Passat. The Passat has been the second best-selling car in Germany since 2011.

Despite lower sales, the Volkswagen Polo gained third place from the BMW 3 Series that slipped to seventh place this year. The Audi A3 and VW Tiguan similarly improved a place each at the expense of the BMW 3 Series.

The Mercedes C Class benefited from a new model early in the year and was the most improved (+15%) of the top ten most-popular car models in Germany in 2014. The Mercedes C Class improved from eighth a year ago.

The BMW 3 Series’ slip from third to seventh (and nearly a fifth fewer sales) is less serious for BMW than the numbers indicate. Cars now labeled 4 Series were included in 2013 statistics – if these were added the BMW would have been in second place with around 40 cars more sold than the Passat. (Similar effects influenced statistics for other models and manufacturers.)

The Opel Corsa improved from tenth to eighth with the aging car selling remarkably well even before the new model was launched towards the end of the year.

The Skoda Octavia entered the list of the top-ten best-selling car models in Germany for the first time in 2014 at ninth place, up from 11th in 2013 and 17th in 2012. The Octavia is considered Germany’s favorite imported car model, although Skoda is owned by Volkswagen.

The BMW 1 Series slipped from seventh place to tenth, also partly due to the creation of the 2 Series.

The Opel Astra slipped out of the top-10 list – down to 14th from 9th. The Astra is due for a complete model change towards the end of 2015.

Top 30 Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014 (Full Year)

A few further salient features from the top-selling car models in Germany in 2014:

  • The only two new entrants on the list of Germany’s 30 favorite car models were the Opel Mokka (up to 28th from 44th) and the Ford Kuga (up to 30th from 48th). These two models also saw the highest percentage increases in sales.
  • The two car models dropping off the list were the Hyundai i30 (from 27th) with weaker sales and the Seat Ibiza (from 28th to 31 st) largely due to Cordoba sales counted separately in 2014.
  • The Ford Focus has been creeping up the list in recent years and narrowly missed out on a top-ten position.
  • The Seat Leon improved 8 rank places, despite loosing Toledo sales from the total.
  • The Mercedes A and B Class dropped out of the top 20 with much weaker sales.
  • The only foreign car amongst the top-30 most popular car models in Germany in 2014 and from a brand not belonging to VW or BMW was the Fiat 500 (27 th).

New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany in 2014 increased by 2.9% to 3,036,773 cars. Volkswagen and Mercedes were the best-selling car brands in Germany in 2014.

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.