Fortunately, the VW Golf still plays a decisive role for Volkswagen. At least in Germany and Austria, the perennial favorite still leads the sales figures. After all, the first of now over 35 million vehicles sold worldwide, the Golf, rolled off the production line in 1974. Since 2019, the Golf IX series represents the current generation. Despite these impressive numbers, this superior popularity is rather limited in the rest of the EU. In part, domestic productions also dominate, such as the Renault Clio in France or the Fiat Panda, with a similar success story to the Golf, in Italy.
What many do not know, not Porsche or BMW are the most stolen cars in Italy, the small Panda also leads the hit list here. The reason is that the inconspicuous vehicle is often used for subsequent crimes, but also requires the most spare parts as the best-selling car. If the neighbor’s Panda is stolen at night and the workshop offers another Panda owner a fender the next day, almost new but 50 percent cheaper, the customer can guess where the part comes from, but no one can pass up the opportunity. And he doesn’t have to tell the neighbor.
What special features were there in 2024 for EU new car sales?
In the North and West are the electric vehicles
The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden were “crazy” about the Tesla Y in 2024. However, all three countries are assumed to have a latent liberal mindset. And this does not like the political airs of Tesla’s CEO, the US-American wannabe president Elon Musk, at all. Similar to Germany, sales across Europe, even among EV fans in Scandinavia, are in free fall. For 2025, therefore, there is likely to be a change at the top of vehicles sold in the Netherlands (-42%), Denmark (-48%) and Sweden (-42%).
While the Dutch still raved about their now cooled love Tesla, the Belgians can also enjoy a new BMW X1 with a clear conscience in 2025 – as a combustion engine, hybrid or fully electric.
Spain “cooperates” with Romania
It is not surprising if domestic car brands like VW in Germany or Fiat in Italy or Dacia in Romania are at the top. It also makes sense that Bulgarians rely on cars from neighboring Romania. However, it is somewhat surprising that in Spain there is little interest in Seat or Cupra and people prefer to drive a Dacia Sandero. In general, the Franco-Romanian seems to have many friends on the Iberian Peninsula, as the Portuguese also most frequently rolled off the dealer parking lot in a Sandero in 2024.
In the northeast of the EU, on the other hand, the Japanese dominate with the Toyota Corolla. Only Estonia is an exception in the group from the Baltics and Finland and prefers the pseudo-Czech Skoda, a true ace up the sleeve of the Wolfsburg VW plants.
As our graphic then shows in detail, there is no more mainstream for the other countries or car brands. The Irish like the Hyundai Tucson, the Cypriots the KIA Stonic. However, important markets for manufacturers are rather in Central, Northern and Southwestern Europe.
Car manufacturers are almost stateless
VW is a classic German car. That can be left as it is. Dacia a Romanian? Let’s say, a Renault with foreign experience. Fiat is also no longer a Turin product, but part of the Stellantis Group based in the Netherlands(!), consisting of Fiat, Chrysler and PSA-Peugeot. Renault’s Asian adventure through the now dubious partnership with Nissan-Mitsubishi-Honda still offers numerous options, including the exit.
