Peugeot 208 crowned Europe’s best-selling car

The Peugeot 208 supermini has ended the Volkswagen Golf family hatchback’s 15-year reign as Europe’s most popular new car.

Against the backdrop of various challenges, including the global shortage of chips, soaring inflation and the energy crisis, overall car registrations in Europe declined by 4.1% to 11,309,310.

However, the Peugeot 208 achieved 208,816 registrations, while the VW Golf (177,203) dropped to fifth in the rankings, behind the Dacia Sandero in second (200,550 units), Volkswagen T-Roc (181,153) and Fiat 500 (179,863).

The strength of the overall Volkswagen model range ensured that it remained Europe’s best selling car brand, with 1.2 billion sales – a 6% decline on 2021.

It was followed by Toyota (down 8% at 766,227), Mercedes-Benz (down 1% at 647,880), BMW (down 5% at 646,526) and Peugeot (down 15% to 623,825)

According to the figures released by JATO Dynamics, Tesla’s market share soared from 1.43% in 2021 to 2.06% in 2022, outselling Seat, Mini, and Suzuki, and only trailing Nissan by 4,300 cars.

This growth was driven by the Model Y, Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle, with just over 138,000 registered units. The fully-electric SUV was Europe’s 13th most popular car overall in 2022, pipping the Model 3 (17th).