Car sales in Europe in 2026: who’s up and who’s down in the first eight months of the year
Volkswagen retains the top spot, followed by Škoda and Toyota. Chinese manufacturers continue to grow
Slight signs of hope for new car registrations cars in Europe. In the first eight months of 2026, the number of new registrations reached 7,546,397 units, representing a 5.3 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025. These figures show that European brands continue to be the best-selling, despite the rise of Chinese manufacturers, whilst Toyota, as is traditional, remains on the podium of the best-selling brands. The figures relate to the first eight months of the year across the 27 European markets, excluding EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and the UK.
Volkswagen Group in first place. Audi and Škoda perform well. Porsche underperforms
The Volkswagen Group remains the best-selling brand in Europe, with 1,998,648 registrations from January to August ’26, compared with 1,972,321 in 2025, giving it a market share of 26.5 per cent. The Volkswagen brand remains the best-selling in Europe, thanks to 790,638 registrations which secure it first place despite a 2.9 per cent decline compared with the same period in ’25. Among the group’s brands, the second-best result comes from Škoda, which, thanks to 511,997 registrations (up 9% on ’25), also takes second place in the overall rankings. Audi also performed well, with a 4.4 per cent increase thanks to 355,661 registrations compared to 340,832 in ’25. Cupra saw a slight decline (165,901, down 1 per cent), Seat remained at 128,713, whilst Porsche recorded a -13.2 per cent, with 40,616 registrations compared to 46,772 in ’25.
Toyota is the third best-selling brand in Europe. Lexus sales fall
Toyota ended the first eight months of the year as the third-best-selling brand in Europe, thanks to 495,085 registrations, securing the lowest step on the podium. Growth compared with 2025 was minimal, limited to 0.3 per cent. Lexus (included within the Toyota Group) performed poorly, with 35,418 registrations compared to 38,188 in ’25, representing a 7.3 per cent fall.
Stellantis, Europe’s second-best-selling carmaker. Fiat sales up 30%
Stellantis ranks second among automotive groups, thanks to 1,202,515 new car registrations recorded from January to August, representing a 5.2 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025. Leading the group is Peugeot with 372,949 registrations (-2.2%), Citroën with 241,236 (+7.9 per cent) and, above all, Fiat, which recorded a 30 per cent increase to 233,626 registrations; a figure that could improve with the arrival of the Grizzly. Opel also posted positive figures (+7.1% with 223,321 registrations), whilst Jeep is feeling the impact of the transition from the old Compass to the new model (with the latter not yet at full capacity), recording a -6.6% drop to 75,607 registrations. Alfa Romeo is deep in the red, where a 23.9 per cent drop – with not even 30,000 cars registered in eight months – leaves no room for interpretation. Figures are even lower for DS, at 16,711 (-15 per cent), and Lancia, which improved by 3.1 per cent compared with 2025 but still managed a dismal total of 8,146 registrations across Europe in the first eight months of the year. Maserati? In the ACEA table, it is listed under Stellantis’s ‘others’ category – which also includes Dodge and Ram – with a worrying drop of 39.2 per cent, totalling just 1,830 registrations compared with 3,012 in ’25.
Renault Group: third place but falling registrations
The French group ranks third overall in the automotive group standings but saw an overall decline of 4 per cent, with 781,285 registrations in 2026 compared with 814,132 in 2025. Renault saw slight growth, up 0.3% to 436,371, whilst Dacia fell by almost 10% to 337,240 registrations. There were some positive signs for Alpine, with 7,674 registrations, representing a 43 per cent increase compared with 2025.
