After 14 years, the Peugeot 208 can finally dethrone the Volkswagen Golf as the best-selling car in Europe in 2022. The French city car thus capitalizes on the possibility of ordering an electric e-208, but also due to the declining popularity of the Golf now that SUVs and (PH)EVs are stealing more and more customers away from the traditional models. The Golf was also overtaken by the VW T-Roc in the final standings and thus finishes outside the podium.
Lots of B segmenters
Another striking finding is the fact that compact city cars in general continue to rule in Europe. 6 models of the top 10 from 2022 is such a B-segment hatchback. This is also partly the case in Belgium: private individuals also like to opt for models such as the Dacia Sandero, Toyota Yaris and Citroën C3, but among companies you will mainly find Volvo, BMW and Audi at the top of the rankings.
Volkswagen can take comfort in the fact that it remains the most popular brand on our continent. There the Germans end up ahead of Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Peugeot. Dacia is also making a big leap, but doesn’t have enough models to compete at the top. All told, 11,286,939 new cars were registered in Europe, a decrease of 4.1%. In absolute figures, 500,000 fewer new cars have appeared compared to 2021, mainly due to the long delivery times, but also due to declining purchasing power.
Top 10 most popular models in Europe in 2022
Peugeot 208 Dacia Sandero Volkswagen T-Roc Volkswagen Golf Toyota Yaris Opel Corsa Volkswagen Tiguan Dacia Duster Citroën C3 Renault Clio
