In full-year 2024, new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, UK and EFTA) increased by 0.9% for the European car market to expand moderately to almost 13 million car sales.
The European new car market expanded only moderately in 2024 to just fewer than 13 million passenger vehicle registrations. The market was again almost three million cars smaller than in 2019 and this might be the new normal, as cars are increasingly unaffordable and demand may remain low, as lifestyles change. Germany was the most important country of origin for new cars while China is fast increasing in importance. SUVs were the largest market segment in 2024..
Latest European Car Market Statistics 2024 (Full Year): Market Analysis, Sales by Country, Electric, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models; 2023-2007.
European New Car Market in 2024 (Full Year)
New passenger vehicle registration in Europe (EU, EFTA, UK) increased by 0.9% to 12,963,614 cars. Although the European new car market expanded for the second consecutive year, total sales were still nearly 3 million cars lower than in the years prior to 2020.
In the European Union (EU), new passenger vehicle registrations in 2024 increased by only 0.8% to 10,632,381 cars. Car sales in EFTA were 4.6% lower at 378,455 with sales in all three member countries lower. New car registrations in the United Kingdom increased by 2.6% to almost two million cars.
New Passenger Vehicle Registrations in Europe by Year
New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union, Great Britain, and the EFTA countries were as follows from 2007 to 2024 based on ACEA data:
| Year | Sales EU, UK & EFTA | % Change |
| 2024 | 12,963,614 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | 12,847,481 | 13.7 |
| 2022 | 11,286,939 | -4.1 |
| 2021 | 11,774,885 | -1.5 |
| 2020 | 11,961,182 | -24.3 |
| 2019 | 15,805,752 | 1.2 |
| 2018 | 15,624,486 | 0.0 |
| 2017 | 15,631,687 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | 15,131,719 | 6.5 |
| 2015 | 14,202,024 | 9.2 |
| 2014 | 13,006,451 | 5.4 |
| 2013 | 12,308,215 | -1.8 |
| 2012 | 12,527,912 | -7.8 |
| 2011 | 13,573,550 | -1.4 |
| 2010 | 13,785,698 | -4.9 |
| 2009 | 14,481,545 | -1.6 |
| 2008 | 14,712,158 | -7.8 |
| 2007 | 15,958,871 | 1.1 |
Note: Data does not necessarily include smaller new EU members for historical figures.
Car Sales in Europe by Month in 2024
According to the ACEA, car sales in the European Union were as follows by month in 2024:
There was no clear direction in car sales in Europe during the course of 2024. The market sentiment was more negative towards the end of the year with uncertainty in the German market a major obstacle to car sales.
“Overall, when you consider the range of challenges facing Europe’s automotive industry, the results for 2024 are not overly negative,” commented Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics. “However, you would expect any other industry to have shown significant signs of recovery by now, and there is very little evidence that the automotive industry will return to the pre-pandemic reality. The higher cost of vehicles, the rise of working from home, inflationary pressure on wages, and the emergence of new transportation solutions are among the reasons why Europeans have stopped buying brand new cars.”
New Car Sales in the EU by Power Source
New car sales in the European Union by power source were as follows in 2024:
In 2024, battery electric car sales (BEV) in the European Union (EU) were 6% lower to 1,447,934 all-electric cars compared to 1,538,106 in 2023. Most of the decline was due to a 27.3% contraction in the German electric car market where sales were down by almost 144,000 electric cars.
In EFTA, electric car sales were down 1.7% but sales increased by 21.4% in the UK to make Britain with 381,970 sales narrowly the largest all-electric car market in Europe in 2024.
According to JATO Dynamics, the change in powertrain and energy sources of new passenger cars sold in Europe from 2015 to 2024 were as follows:
→ See also 2024 Europe: Electric Car Sales by Country & Top 20 Best-Selling Electric Car Models in Europe in 2024.
Countries of Manufacture of New Cars Sold in Europe in 2024
According to JATO estimates, almost 21% of total new passenger vehicles registered in EU28 in 2024 came from plants in Germany. However, Germany lost market share in this respect to Czechia, the third largest country of origin for vehicles in Europe, behind Spain. France came in fourth position, despite volumes from French factories falling by 3%, while Romania rounded off the top five.
The most significant trend was China becoming the sixth-largest country of origin for new vehicles registered in Europe. Between 2023 and 2024, it outsold the United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan and South Korea. The share of electric cars produced in China and exported to Europe, including by European brands such as BMW, was particularly high.
SAIC Motor, Geely, BYD, Chery, and BMW Group were the top best-selling companies of Chinese assembly-origin cars in Europe last year.
New Car Registrations by Segment in Europe in 2024
JATO usefully divided the catch-all SUV into smaller segments, although for smaller vehicles the difference between an SUV and a regular hatchback is increasingly just a matter of marketing.
Despite the growth of the SUV category slowing over the past three years, SUVs remained the best-selling vehicle segment in Europe. 54% of total registrations in Europe in 2024 were SUVs – a record market share for the segment. In total, consumers in Europe bought 6.92 million SUVs, up 4% from 2023.
Compact SUVs (C-SUVs) were the most popular type within the category, accounting for 42% of total SUV registrations last year, followed by smaller models (B-SUVs), with a 36% market share. However, the largest growth came from luxury SUVs, registrations of which were up 13% to 56,300 units.
Almost one quarter of the total number of new SUVs registered in Europe last year were from Volkswagen Group, with the T-Roc and Tiguan among the top ten best-selling models in the category. Stellantis was the second best-seller with almost 800,000 units – down 7% from 2023 – while Hyundai-Kia came in third place with 705,500 units, down 1%.
SUVs were a key segment last year for other automakers including Jaguar Land Rover, Geely, Honda, and SAIC Motor, while the segment made up less than half of total sales for Stellantis, Renault Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, and Mitsubishi.
Europe Car Sales Statistics
→ Latest European Car Sales Statistics
- 2025 (Outlook) Europe: Car and Electric Car Sales Forecasts
- 2024 (Full Year): Market Analysis, Car Sales by Country, Electric Sales by Country, Best-Selling Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Models
- 2024: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
- 2024 (Half Year): Car Sales by European Country, Top Brands, Top 25 Models
- Full-Year 2023: Car Sales by Country, Brands, Top 50 Models, Top 20 Electric Car Models
