These Automakers Sold The Most Cars in Europe Last Month

Volkswagen remains the leader, ahead of Stellantis and Renault. BYD, Chery, Tesla, and Leapmotor grew, while Ford and Nissan declined.

2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line exterior 11

Photo by: Volkswagen

By: Eleonora Lilli

Translated by: Anthony Alaniz

Published by: Anthony Alaniz

Jun 24, at 2:00pm ET

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After a slow start to the year, Europe’s new-car market has regained momentum. In May, according to data published by ACEA (the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), registrations across the European Union, EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland), and the United Kingdom totaled 1,152,523 vehicles, a 3.6 percent increase versus the same month in 2025.

Growth was 3.2 percent in the European Union, 1.4 percent in the EFTA countries, and 3.6 percent in the UK. Among the major continental markets, Italy once again stood out with the strongest result, posting a 7.6 percent increase in registrations. France and Germany also finished in positive territory at +3.7 percent and +0.1 percent, respectively, while Spain was the only large market to end the month slightly down, with a 0.8 percent decline.

Gasoline And Diesel Continue To Lose Share

Between January and May 2026, battery-electric vehicles reached 20 percent of the European market with more than 950,000 registrations, up from 15.3 percent from a year earlier. Much of that gain came from Italy (+75.7 percent), France (+55.4 percent), and Germany (+40.9 percent).

Hybrids remain the most popular choice among buyers, however, with a 37.8 percent share and nearly 1.8 million vehicles registered. Plug-in hybrids also grew, rising to 9.7 percent of the market thanks largely to a surge in Italy (+84.9 percent).

Traditional powertrains, by contrast, continued to slide. Registrations of gasoline cars fell 18.2 percent, pushing market share down to 22.4 percent, while diesel dropped 16.6 percent to 7.6 percent. Combined, gasoline and diesel now account for 30.1 percent of new-car registrations in the EU, down from 38 percent over the same period in 2025.

The Best-Selling Powertrains In Europe In May 2026

Powertrain New Registrations EU Market Share Hybrids (HEV) 1,795,071 37.8% Gasoline 1,065,071 22.4% Electric (BEV) 950,521 20.0% Plug-In Hybrids (PHEV) 460,217 9.7% Diesel n/a 7.6% Other powertrains n/a 2.5% Total electrified vehicles (BEV+HEV+PHEV) 3,205,809 67.5%

Group Rankings: Who Sold The Most In May 2026

Over the first five months of 2026, the European market continues to be led by the Volkswagen Group, which holds onto first place with 25.8 percent of registrations, followed by Stellantis (15.5 percent) and Renault (9.2 percent). Among the major groups, Stellantis (+5.3 percent), BMW (+3.3 percent), and Mercedes-Benz (+2.8 percent) posted the biggest gains, while Renault, Hyundai, and Toyota recorded slight declines.

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Standing out most are Chinese automakers, which continue to expand rapidly. BYD increased registrations by 145.2 percent (+136.6 percent in the EU + EFTA + UK area), Chery by 316 percent, and Leapmotor by 552.9 percent (+465.1 percent in the EU + EFTA + UK area). SAIC and Geely also ended the period with gains. Tesla also performed well, up 57.2 percent versus the same period in 2025 (+107.9 percent in the EU + EFTA + UK area).

Among brands under pressure were Ford (-16.9 percent), Nissan (-11.4 percent), and Mitsubishi (-42.9 percent). Within the major groups, notable increases came from Fiat, Skoda, and Mini, while Peugeot, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, and Dacia posted declines.

Group May 2026 Sales % Change Volkswagen Group 300,299 -3.0% Stellantis 164,958 -2.3% Renault Group 110,124 -1.0% Hyundai Group 86,444 -2.4% BMW Group 82,277 +4.1% Toyota Group 78,168 -0.6% Mercedes-Benz 56,185 +0.6% Geely Group 38,146 +12.6% Ford 25,290 -28.3% SAIC Motor 30,527 +13.9% BYD 32,380 +136.6% Nissan 17,730 -16.0% Chery (Chery, Jaecoo, Jetour, Omoda) 27,412 +244.1% Tesla 28,610 +107.9% Suzuki 13,965 +2.2% Mazda 12,597 +6.2% JLR 10,086 -0.7% Leapmotor 9,945 +465.1% Honda 5,695 +8.3% Mitsubishi 2,260 -44.7%

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