Dacia Sandero maintains top spot ahead of Tesla Model Y and VW Golf

New figures reveal that monthly registrations of new passenger cars in Europe in November declined by 1.7% year-on-year. 

The data, from Jato Dynamics, shows that 1,054,043 units were registered across 28 European markets in November, taking the year-to-date volume of new vehicle registrations to 11,847,573 units, an increase of just 0.8% compared to the corresponding period last year. 

In November, Europe’s ‘big five’ automakers – Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, Renault Group, BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Group – were responsible for 65% of total sales.

Japan’s carmakers followed with a 13% market share, while Korean brands were responsible for 7.5% of total sales. 

The United States came next, with Tesla and Ford accounting for 5.9% of total monthly registrations, while China’s carmakers held 6.7% market share last month. 

Growth in November came from Renault Group (+8.6%), Toyota (+9.8%) and Geely (+16%).

By contrast, double-digit drops in registrations were posted by Stellantis, Hyundai-Kia, Ford, Tesla and Nissan; Germany’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW also posted losses last month.

November also saw significant changes from a brand perspective. Skoda occupied third position in the monthly rankings, thanks to strong sales of its Fabia, Enyaq and Kodiaq models. 

Volvo overtook Vauxhall/Opel, while both MG and Cupra surpassed Fiat, which recorded a 39% drop in registrations following the discontinuation of the petrol-powered model of its Fiat 500. 

Elsewhere, Porsche outsold Land Rover, BYD registered more units than Honda, Omoda moved ahead of Subaru, and Xpeng registered more vehicles than Jaguar or Lancia.

BEVs gain market share 

While overall registrations trended downwards, demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Europe increased by 0.8% year on year. 

The market share of BEVs increased to 17.4% in November 2024, compared to 17.0% in November 2023. 

Growth was strongest in the UK (+58%), Netherlands (+44%), Norway (+30%) and Belgium (+17%), while demand fell by 25% and 22% in France and Germany respectively. 

Electric models from Volkswagen Group accounted for 26% of monthly BEV registrations in Europe last month, with volumes up 16%. 

By contrast, Tesla posted a 28% drop in volumes as it continues to navigate delays associated with the updated model of its Model Y. 

Tesla was the second largest seller of BEVs, followed by BMW Group and Stellantis, which occupied third and fourth place respectively. 

The standout performances of the month came from China’s automakers, which combined registered more than 24,100 units of BEVs in November (including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus), just behind Tesla. 

China’s automakers increased market share in the BEV category, from 12.5% in November 2023 to 13.2% last month. 

Growth was driven by Leapmotor (+296%), BYD (+127%), Xpeng (+93%) and Geely (+33%).

Dacia Sandero goes from strength to strength

Among the top ten in the monthly model rankings, the Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 208, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen T-Roc recorded the highest year-on-year growth. 

The Dacia Sandero consolidated its position as the region’s most popular passenger car and widened the gap from the Volkswagen Golf, which is second in the year-to-date ranking.

Other strong performers in November include the Renault Captur, Toyota C-HR, Skoda Fabia, Peugeut 3008, Skoda Kodiaq, Jeep Avenger, BMW Series 5 and Suzuki Swift.