France Best Selling Cars ranking up to October 2023, reports the Renault Clio as new segment leader (+54.6%). Peugeot 208 BEV  and Tesla Model Y enter the top 10 booming more than 350%. The Peugeot 208 loses 42.9% in volume.

In France more than in any part of the World, local consumer’s prefer to purchase local manufacturer and vehicles produced by Renault or Stellantis dominate the ranking of best-selling cars.

Considering YTD data up to October 2023 the leader is the Renault Clio -up 2 spots- with 80,323 sales, an 54.6% year-on-year growth.

The Dacia Sandero in second place with 57,825 sales (+10.5%) in front of the  Citroen C3  –up 1 spot- with 50,740 sales (+2.2%).

In fourth place ranks the Renault Captur with 40,149 sales (+5.0%) followed by the Peugeot 208 with 39,963 (-42.9%) and Peugeot 308  with 37,023 (+6.5%)

In seventh place, we find the Peugeot 208 BEV -up 34 spots- with 35,699 units sold (+357.6%) followed by the Tesla Model Y -up 40 spots- at 29,291 (+350.1%), the  Dacia Duster with 27,317 sales (+5.4%) and in 10th place the Peugeot 3008 with 25,864 (-10.9%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the Top 50 models.

Market Trend and Outlook

After having slowed down significantly in the second half of 2022 and in the first quarter of 2023, on the back of supply bottlenecks and higher energy and commodity prices, French GDP growth accelerated to 0.5% in the second quarter of the year. This was significantly more than previously expected (0.1%). The rebound was driven by net exports, while domestic demand remained sluggish. The European Commission states: “GDP is forecast to grow moderately over the rest of the forecast horizon, as domestic demand starts to recover”.

The French Auto Market on the other hand still maintaining strong momentum, with October 2023 growing for the 15th consecutive month, reporting 152,472 new sales and a double digit growth (+22.2%). YTD figures at 1.44 million are up 16.3% from the previous year.

Looking at cumulative data up to October 2023, brand-wise Renault rises 1 spot into 1st with 230,454 sales (+19.0%), followed by Peugeot with 205,769 (+0.5%), Dacia with 130,715 (+24.1%) and Citroen  with 108,381 registrations (-1.0%).

Volkswagen with 95,123 (+25.8%) maintains 5th place, followed by Toyota with 85,168 new registrations (+8.4%), in front of BMW at 44,593 sales (+27.9%) and Tesla at 43,966 registrations (+143.8%).

Ford falls into 9th with 42,169 units sold (+9.2%) and Hyundai closing the top 10 with 40,859 sales (+4.3%).

Looking at specific models the Renault Clio becomes the new best selling car with a 54.6% year-on-year increase in sales. The Dacia Sandero follows in second with a 10.5% rise in volume.

Medium-Term Market Trend

In the last decade the French market has had many ups and down. From 2010 to 2013 the French vehicle-market fell year after year starting from 2.3 million sales in 2010 and reaching the lowest point in 2013 with 1.8 million sales. Following this period the French market began a 6 year growth bringing sales nearly back to previous levels in 2019 (2.2 millions sales).

With the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, causing dealers and manufacturing plants to close down, the French auto-market took a substantial hit, losing 23.7%. This brought sales to an all time low, with  almost 1.7 million registrations.

Post-Covid, sales stayed at 1.7 million in 2021 and in 2022 fell 7.8% to 1.53 million. Lower demand was consequential to the current European sentiment that is pushing more towards EVs, a substantially more expensive alternative for French consumers. This will continue to slow sales going into 2023.

Another factor that will put negative pressure on demand in 2023 is the disruption in the global supply chain caused by a lack of raw materials for microchips. This has led manufacturers to increase prices and waiting times.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models.

France Best Selling Cars ranking with top 11 places reserved to French models. Peugeot 208 boosted by last generation success jumps on top of the list while Peugeot 308 is up 10 spots in 7th place.

In France more than in any part of the World, local consumer’s prefer to purchase local manufacturer and vehicles produced by Renault or Stellantis dominate the ranking of best-selling cars.

In 2022 the top 11 models are owned by the Two French groups.

On top of the list and boosted by the last generation success there is the Peugeot 208, with 80,838 sales (+32.5%) up 4 spots.

The Dacia Sandero maintains second place with 64,308 sales (-16.5%) in front of the  Renault Clio  –down 2 spots- with 64,012 sales (-24.9%).

In fourth place Citroen C3 with 58,880 sales (-9.9%) followed by the Peugeot 2008 with 48,675 (-28.2%) and Renault Captur  with 45,577 (-13.3%)

In seventh place, we find the Peugeot 308 -Up 10 spots- with 41,706 units sold (+93.9%) followed by the Peugeot 3008 -down 1 spot- with 36,281 (-28.0%), the  Renault Mégane with 33,398 sales (+19.5%) and in 10th place the Dacia Duster with 31,648 (+1.9%).

In 11th place the fast growing Renault Arkana (+76.0%) ahead of the first foreign model (while produced in France), the Toyota Yaris (-3.7%).

Raising stars are the Toyota Yaris Cross in 13th and the Dacia Spring in 18th  (+61.0%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the Top 50 models.

Market trend and Outlook

French Car Sales in 2022 totaled 1.53 million, a 7.8% decrease from the prior year. Momentum built up in the previous 4 months slows down in December, posting 158,020 sales (0.0%).

Looking at the cumulative data from 2022, brand-wise the leader is still Peugeot in 1st with 245,613 sales (-14.1%), followed by Renault with 236,455 (-12.1%), Dacia with 130,855 (+4.5%) and Citroen  with 129,884 registrations (-19.8%).

Toyota with 100,268 (+4.3%) moves up 1 spot into 5th place overtaking Volkswagen with 97,293 (-7.6%), in front of Mercedes at 47,978 sales (-5.5%) and Hyundai at 47,106 registrations (+4.1%).

Ford up 3 spots in 9th with 47,097 (-3.0%) and Kia closes the Top 10 with 46,225 sales (+3.7%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models.

France’s best-selling cars ranking in 2021 sees the Renault Clio on top, followed by Peugeot 208 and the Dacia Sandero. The Toyota Yaris, the Dacia Duster and the Renault Mégane enter the leaderboard.

In 2021, the Renault Clio maintains leadership with 85,247 sales (5.2% share), followed by the Peugeot 208 with 78,881 sales, holding 4.8% share.

The third place was taken by the Dacia Sandero -up 3 spots-, selling 77,051 units holding 4.7% share, followed by the Peugeot 2008 -down 1 spot- with 72,694 sales (4.4% share), and the Citroen C3 -down 1 spot- with 65,394 (4% market share), and the Renault Captur -down 1 spot- with 52,596 sales (3.2% share).

In seventh place, we find the Peugeot 3008 with 50,468 units sold (3.1% share), followed by the Toyota Yaris –up 3 spots– with 32,299 (2% share), the Dacia Duster -up 3 spots- with 31,058 sales (1.9% share), and finally the Renault Mégane -up 4 spots- with 27,952 (1.7% share).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the Top 50 models.

Market trend

The French car market this year attempted to recover from the pandemic crash of 2020 and reported a very promising performance in the first half, followed by another double-digit fall.

The market was in a positive momentum since early 2015 and the Macron government’s active policy has corroborated the market pushing up consumer confidence and expectations.

Consequently, the car passenger sales level achieved in 2019 was the best in the decade and followed 6 years of consecutive growth, with 2.21 million units sold, up 1.9%.  Sales in 2020 have been heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting all sectors. In fact, 1,650,197 units have been sold, reporting a decline of 25.5%.

In 2021 the year started positively for the French market, in fact, in Q1 441,793 units have been sold, reporting a 21.1% increase in sales compared to Q1 2020, and in Q2 sales kept growing quickly, reporting a 37% increase in sales with 480,976 units.

In Q3 sales started falling quickly, losing 25.1% with 337,614 units, and kept dropping in Q4 with 398,613 units (-17.6%).

Indeed, Full-Year sales for 2021 have been 1.66 million, reporting a 0.5% increase compared to 2020.

Brand-wise, this year the new leader Peugeot (-5.3%) lost 1.1% market share, overtaking Renault (-14.5%), which lost 2.9% share. Citroen lost 0.1% share, falling just 0.5%.  Dacia reached 4th place and grew 28.9%, overtaking Volkswagen which gained 7.7%.

Toyota gained 7.2%, followed by Mercedes (-3.4%) and Audi which jumped 2 spots and gained 10.4% sales. Closing the leaderboard we have BMW gaining 1.1% this year and Hyundai entering the leaderboard by jumping 4 spots, reporting the best performance by gaining 30.8%.

The most sold vehicle this year has been the Renault Clio (-11.1%) with 85,247 units sold, followed by the Peugeot 208, which lost 17.7% registering 78,881 new sales this year. The Dacia Sandero -up 3 spots- (+44.2%) closes the podium by jumping 3 spots and reports 77,051 new units sold.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models.

France’s best-selling cars ranking in 2020 sees the Renault Clio on top ahead of its archenemy the Peugeot 208 by nearly 100 units. The Peugeot 3008 fell in 7th position, while the Renault Zoe boomed 98.8% and entered the leaderboard.

In 2020, the Renault Clio overtook the previous leader by near 100 units, with 95.637 sales (+19.4%), outpacing the Peugeot 208. Indeed, the 208 has registered 95.514 units (-9.5%).

Launched in 1990, the Renault Clio just arrived at the fifth generation. The new generation started with a market share stable since 2015 between 5.5% and 5.8%, aiming to recover in the next years the 7.0% did in 2013 when the fourth generation was launched.

The third place was taken by the Peugeot 2008 -up 4 spots-, selling 66.927 units (+8.4%), followed by the Citroen C3 with 58545 (-27.5%) -down 2 spots-, and the Renault Captur -up 1 spot- with 56.075 (-18.2%), overtaking the Dacia Sandero with 53.404 (-23%).

In seventh place, we find the Peugeot 3008 – down 3 spots – with 45.243 units sold (-38.5%), followed by the Renault Twingo with 43.116 (-15%), the outstanding Renault Zoe -up 21 spots- with 37.409 sales (+98.8%), and finally the Peugeot 308 -down 2 spots- with 36.578 (-35.2%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the Top 50 models.

Market trend

The French car market was hit extremely harshly in 2020 as the global pandemic has impacted sales tremendously. In fact, the fall was so harsh that we recorded the lowest annual volume for the country since 1975.

The market was in a positive momentum since early 2015 and the Macron government’s active policy has corroborated the market pushing up consumer confidence and expectations.

Consequently, the car passenger sales level achieved in 2019 was the best in the decade and followed 6 years of consecutive growth, with 2.21 million units sold, up 1.9%. 

After starting the year with a slight negative trend (-13.4%), the market quickly collapsed in March as the virus struck. The sharpest drop in sales this year was in April when sales declined by 88.8% as the entire country was put in a complete lockdown. Thanks to EU and French government incentives the market recovered extremely quickly in June (+1.2%).

In fact, president Emmanuel Macron announced an €8 billion plan to support the French car industry and sustain the country’s economy from the Covid-19 crisis. The plan includes subsidies for the purchase of “clean” vehicles – up to €7.000 for electric cars – while fostering clean technology development. Nevertheless, the market has been struggling since August.

Indeed, Full-Year sales for 2020 have been 1.650.197, reporting a decline of 25.5% compared to 2019.

Due to the government and EU incentives HEV is up 58.2% to 169.064 and 10.3% share vs. 4.9 in 2019, BEV soars 159.4% to 110.912 and 6.7% share vs. just 1.9% last year and PHEV surges 301.2% to 74.587 and 4.5% share vs. 0.8%. In contrast, petrol sales freefall -39.6% to 773.363 and 46.9% share vs. 57.9% in 2019 and diesel registrations drop -33.3% to 504.191 and 30.6% share vs. 34.1%.

Brand-wise, this year the leader Renault (-22.7%) gained 0.7% market share, followed by the growing Peugeot (-20.5%), which gained an impressive 1.2% share. Citroen on the other hand lost 0.7% share, falling 30.8%.  Volkswagen remained in 4th place despite reporting the worst performance in the leaderboard (-34.4%), followed by Dacia which lost 30.1%.

Toyota registered the best performance in the leaderboard by losing only 11.8%, followed by Ford (-30%) and Mercedes which jumped 1 spot and lost 25.1% sales. Closing the leaderboard we have BMW -up 2 spots- losing 22.6% this year and Audi entering the leaderboard by jumping 2 spots, losing 21.2%.

The most sold vehicle this year has been the Renault Clio (+19.4%) with 95.637 units sold and jumped 2 spots, overtaking its archenemy the Peugeot 208, which lost 9.5% registering 95.514 new sales this year. The Peugeot 2008 (+8.4%) closes the podium by jumping 4 spots and reports 66.927 new units sold.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models.

French vehicle market in the second half has recovered the moderate lost reported in the first, ending 2019 up 1.9%, confirming the great shape under the Macron government. The traditional battle for leadership among Renault and Peugeot ended again with the lion brand in second, while Alfa Romeo and Land Rover were the fastest growing brands.

Economic Environment

Market Trend

French vehicles market is in a positive momentum since early 2015 and the Macron government active policy has corroborated the market pushing up consumer confidence and expectations. Consequently, the car passenger sales level achieved in the 2018 was the best in the decade and follows 5 years of consecutive growth, with 2.17 million units.

According to data reported by the French Associations of Car Manufacturers, in 2019 the market signed the 6th consecutive year of gain. Indeed total sales have been 2.214.212, up 1.9%. Following a moderately negative first half, in recent months the market went back on a positive track.

As tradition, French Manufacturers control over the half of the market and the combined share of the groups P.S.A. and Renault-Nissan is almost at 60%.

The top-selling brand is Renault with 18.4% of share and is actually recovering the sales lost during the top model – Clio – run-out phase. Peugeot is the second with 17.1% of share always dreaming to be the first, while the third step of the podium is held by Citroen.

This year the fast-growing brands are Audi, DS, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Seat and Alfa Romeo.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models

France best selling cars ranking in the 2019 with on top the Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3. In third place, the former leader, the Renault Clio, with the fifth generation. The Peugeot 308 declined hitting the worst share out of the last seven years.

The new market leader was the Peugeot 208 with the recent launch of the second generation. After changing the name (number) for 30 years, Peugeot have decided to keep it for the new compact model, which held 4.9% of market share.

In second place the Citroen C3 with 3.6% of share, the best out of last 9 years.

Launched in the 1990, in third place we find the Renault Clio ,just arrived at the fifth generation having spent almost all his commercial live on top of this market. The new generation starts from a leadership with a market share stable since the 2015 between the 5.5% and 5.8%, aiming to recover in the next year the 7.0% did in the 2013, when the fourth generation was launched. It will be hard because meantime, several new small SUVs have taken space, with 5 out of the top 10 models in their category.

In fifth fourth position, the Peugeot 3008 with 3.4% share, followed by the Dacia Sandero with share stable at the 3.2% record hit last year, ahead of  the Renault Captur with 3.2%, the Peugeot 2008 with 2.9%, the Peugeot 308 with 2.6%, the worst in the last 7 years.

In ninth place the Renault Twingo with 2.4% and in 10th the Renault Mégane with 2.3%.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models