If someone seriously thinks that Europeans mainly drive Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars, he is mostly wrong. In the rating of the most popular models BMW is found only behind the 30th place, and the first Audi is found only on the 28th position of the rating. The first Mercedes is also found approximately there. But if all is so, then what cars do Europeans drive? To answer this question, let’s look at the new car registration statistics for 2022.
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What is the situation with car sales in Europe?
The situation with car sales in the European Union is sour. This is especially true for the primary car market. For the third year in a row, the EU car market has been in decline. The decline began during the coronavirus pandemic. However, due to known circumstances, the market has not stabilized to this day. Moreover, the drop in sales has already updated another anti-record in Europe for the second time. Thus, in 2022, the 30 largest car markets in Europe lost 4.1% of sales. What is more interesting is that the results of last year’s sales in the EU car market were the lowest since 1985. Compared to 2020, auto sales sagged by 5.6% and 29% from 2019! The car market is being squeezed by the ongoing crisis, the effects of the pandemic, the energy market situation and rising inflation.
Which models are in the top 10 best-selling models?
First place: Peugeot 208. The best-selling lot in the European Union and the UK was this subcompact car from 2012. A total of 206.8 thousand of these cars were sold in Europe for the year 2022. Compared to 2021, Peugeot 208 sales showed almost 5% growth. It is also worth noting that the 208 is traditionally among the top 10 most popular cars in the EU. In 2021, the car was in 3rd place in sales.
II place: Dacia Sandero. In the second place of the ranking for 2022 is another subcompact car. The Sandero model is only slightly behind the 208. For the year, about 200 thousand of them were sold in the Union and the UK, which is certainly not a bad result. The growth in sales is 1%.In 2021, the car was also in 2nd place.
III place: Volkswagen T-Roc. The German crossover of 2017 production year was able to significantly improve its position in the sales ranking. Back in 2021, the car was on the 6th place of the overall standings.Interestingly, the T-Roc’s sales share for 2022 fell by 3%, but the model was still able to break through to the top of the ranking due to an even much stronger fall of the previous leaders. Over the year, 181 thousand of them were sold in the EU and the UK.
IV place: Fiat 500. If someone thinks that 500 is bought only in the native land, he is mistaken.
The car is steadily taken and in the countries of Europe. In 2021, this 3-door city hatchback occupied the ninth place of the rating. Now Fiat 500 has improved its position, largely due to a 3% increase in sales. In 2022, 179.8 thousand of such cars were sold in Europe.
V place: Volkswagen Golf. Europeans buy and “Golf”. In the West, this car is no less popular that in the East of Europe. Last year, sales of this old man collapsed by almost 14%. Nevertheless, more than 177 thousand of these cars were still realized in 30 major markets. Today, the Volkswagen Golf ranks 5th in the ranking, but a year ago it was in first place.
VI place: Toyota Yaris. A year ago, this car was on the 7th place of the rating with sales of 175 thousand copies. Over the past 12 months, the Yaris gave up its position by 4%. Nevertheless, despite everything, the car enjoys a fairly stable demand and is regularly in the top 10 European ratings.
VII place: Opel Corsa. Like the above-mentioned “Yaris”, “Corsa” was able to improve its position in the overall ranking by one place. A year ago, the car was on the 8th place of the rating. The compact car improved its position due to the fall of other participants in the ranking. Sales of Opel itself also sagged for the last year – a drop of almost 9%! In actual terms, about 164 thousand of these cars were sold for the year.
VIII place: Hyundai Tucson. With a sales level of 150 thousand on the 8th place of the rating is located compact Korean crossover released initially for the United States market. The model showed an increase in sales of 1%, and was able to jump several positions at once. A year ago, the “Korean” was only in 13th place in the overall standings.
IX place: Dacia Duster. The French compact crossover in 2022 sold well. Against the backdrop of falling competitors, the Dacia Duster was able to jump from 15th to 9th place in the ranking. Sales of the vehicle increased by 2%. In actual terms, about 149 thousand such cars were sold in Europe and the UK. It should be noted that so well Duster in the EU almost never sold since 2010.
X place: Renault Clio.The last place in the top 10 most popular cars in Europe was taken by the “Frenchman” Clio.The model literally grabbed the edge over the very abyss.A year ago, Clio was on the 4th place of the sales ranking. In 2022, the sales of these cars collapsed by 27%.In just one year, 143 thousand of these cars were sold in 30 major markets in Europe.
