In full-year 2023, the Volkswagen Golf, VW T-Roc, VW Tiguan, and Opel Corsa were the top-selling car models in Germany while the Tesla Model Y was the favorite electric car.
2023 (January to December): The Volkswagen Golf maintained its traditional position as the top-selling passenger car model in Germany. It was followed by the VW T-Roc and VW Tiguan — the most popular SUVs in Germany for several years. The Opel Corsa was the favorite small car and the Fiat 500 the top-selling imported car in Germany in 2023. The Tesla Model Y was the eighth most popular car overall and again the top-selling battery-electric vehicle in Germany in 2023.
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024 (Half Year) — Brands; 2023 — Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric, 2022-2007.
Top 50 Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2023 (Full Year)
The top 50 best-selling car models in the full calendar year 2023 in Germany according to the KBA, as well as the number of electric models sold of relevant models, were as follows:
| – | Brand | Model | Sales 2023 | Electric Sales |
| 1 | Volkswagen | GOLF | 81,117 | – |
| 2 | Volkswagen | T-ROC | 68,678 | – |
| 3 | Volkswagen | TIGUAN | 63,958 | – |
| 4 | Opel | CORSA | 53,669 | 13,861 |
| 5 | Volkswagen | PASSAT | 47,494 | – |
| 6 | Fiat | 500 | 47,166 | 22,608 |
| 7 | Mni | MINI | 45,938 | 13,953 |
| 8 | Tesla | MODEL Y | 45,818 | 45,818 |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz | C-KLASSE | 44,257 | – |
| 10 | Skoda | OCTAVIA | 41,819 | – |
| 11 | BMW | X1 | 37,267 | 14,694 |
| 12 | Volkswagen | ID.4, ID.5 | 36,353 | 36,353 |
| 13 | Audi | A4 | 35,905 | – |
| 14 | Mercedes-Benz | GLK, GLC | 35,694 | 2,080 |
| 15 | Audi | A3 | 34,686 | – |
| 16 | BMW | 3ER | 34,422 | – |
| 17 | Volkswagen | POLO | 34,408 | – |
| 18 | Audi | A6 | 30,580 | – |
| 19 | Seat | FORMENTOR | 30,078 | – |
| 20 | Volkswagen | TRANSPORTER | 29,769 | / |
| 21 | Opel | MOKKA | 29,570 | 10,994 |
| 22 | Volkswagen | T-CROSS | 29,313 | – |
| 23 | Toyota | YARIS | 27,805 | – |
| 24 | BMW | 4ER | 27,584 | 12,869 |
| 25 | Seat | LEON | 27,066 | – |
| 26 | BMW | X3 | 26,847 | 5,734 |
| 27 | Audi | Q3 | 26,720 | – |
| 28 | Mercedes-Benz | E-KLASSE | 26,561 | 7,865 |
| 29 | Mercedes-Benz | GLA | 26,410 | 13,839 |
| 30 | Ford | FOCUS | 25,115 | – |
| 31 | Opel | ASTRA | 25,093 | 1,121 |
| 32 | Audi | Q5 | 24,395 | – |
| 33 | Skoda | ENYAQ | 23,498 | 23,498 |
| 34 | Dacia | SANDERO | 23,234 | – |
| 35 | Hyundai | KONA | 23,207 | 11,599 |
| 36 | Skoda | KODIAQ | 23,150 | – |
| 37 | BMW | 5ER | 22,633 | 1,088 |
| 38 | Volkswagen | ID.3 | 22,270 | 22,270 |
| 39 | Seat | ATECA | 22,171 | – |
| 40 | Ford | KUGA | 22,171 | – |
| 41 | Volkswagen | TAIGO | 21,456 | – |
| 42 | Ford | PUMA | 21,427 | – |
| 43 | Mercedes-Benz | A-KLASSE | 21,026 | – |
| 44 | Kia | CEED | 20,938 | – |
| 45 | Skoda | KAROQ | 20,681 | – |
| 46 | Fiat | DUCATO | 20,632 | – |
| 47 | BMW | 1ER | 20,485 | – |
| 48 | BMW | 2ER | 20,444 | – |
| 49 | Mercedes-Benz | V-KLASSE | 20,340 | 1,602 |
| 50 | Skoda | FABIA | 20,167 | – |
Ten Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2023
The top-ten best-selling car models in Germany in 2023 and sales in recent years according to KBA new passenger vehicle registration data were:
| – | Brand | Model | Sales 2023 | Sales 2022 | Sales 2021 | Sales 2020 | Sales 2019 |
| Total Market | 2,844,609 | 2,651,357 | 2,622,132 | 2,917,678 | 3,607,258 | ||
| 1 | VW | GOLF | 81,117 | 84,282 | 91,621 | 136,324 | 204,550 |
| 2 | VW | T-ROC | 68,678 | 58,942 | 57,424 | 50,822 | 58,898 |
| 3 | VW | TIGUAN | 63,958 | 59,136 | 55,527 | 60,380 | 87,771 |
| 4 | OPEL | CORSA | 53,669 | 50,191 | 49,475 | 53,199 | 51,708 |
| 5 | VW | PASSAT | 47,494 | 39,261 | 45,696 | 60,904 | 59,322 |
| 6 | FIAT | 500 | 47,166 | 52,337 | 35,787 | 32,039 | 37,503 |
| 7 | MINI | MINI | 45,938 | 40,142 | 42,938 | 44,152 | 50,019 |
| 8 | TESLA | MODEL Y | 45,818 | 35,426 | NEW | – | – |
| 9 | MERCEDES | C-CLASS | 44,257 | 33,454 | 22,640 | 41,651 | 64,403 |
| 10 | SKODA | OCTAVIA | 41,819 | 33,294 | 40,663 | 53,302 | 55,210 |
The Volkswagen Golf was again the favorite car model of the Germans in 2023, although it was not always the top car in monthly sales, including being outsold by the Fiat 500. The Golf celebrates 50 years on the car market in 2024 and only a small update is expected before it changes into an electric car only towards the end of the decade.
The VW Golf has been the best-selling car model in Germany for every calendar year since 1981. It was last outsold in 1980 — by the Mercedes-Benz W123 (E-Class). However, its importance for Volkswagen is declining — as recently as 2015, VW sold over 270,000 Golfs in Germany.
The Golf was the only top-ten best-selling car model in Germany in the same position in 2023 as in 2022. The VW Tiguan and VW T-Roc swapped positions with increased sales volumes — both models are generally considered to be very profitable for Volkswagen. The Tiguan was Germany’s favorite cross-country vehicle (Geländewagen) and the T-Roc Germany’s best-selling SUV according to the official definitions.
The Opel Corsa slipped one position despite stronger sales while the VW Passat, which is to receive a well-published model update in 2024, moved up from seventh. The Fiat 500 slipped two positions with lower sales but remained the favorite foreign car model.
The Mini slipped one place despite stronger sales while the Tesla Model Y improved two places from a year ago.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Skoda Octavia re-entered the top ten, while the Ford Kuga dropped to 40th from 8th and the BMW 3-Series from 9th to 16th.
German Car Sales Statistics 2023 (Full Year)
- Market Overview
- Best-Selling Car Brands
- Top-Selling Car Models
- Best-Selling Electric Cars
- Total Number of Cars in Germany by Brand
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024 (Half Year) — Brands; 2023 — Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric, 2022-2007.
