Top Ten Best-Selling Cars by Model in Europe 2008

List of Most-Sold Passenger Vehicles Led by VW Golf & Peugeot 207

In 2008, the VW Golf led the list of the ten best-selling car models in Europe. The Peugeot 207 and Ford Focus were the next most sold passenger vehicles on the European automobile market. (2009 and 2010 car sales statistics for the Top Best-Selling Cars in Europe.)

In 2008, the Volkswagen Golf regained its position as the best-selling car in Europe. Europe’s favorite car in 2007, the Peugeot 207 was the second most-sold car in Europe in 2008 followed by the Ford Focus and Opel / Vauxhall Corsa. Of the top ten bestselling cars in Europe in 2008, only the VW Golf and the Audi A4 could increase the number of passenger vehicles sold. New car registrations were down in Europe for most of 2008 and most automobile manufacturers recorded huge declines in sales volumes.

Top Ten Best-Selling Cars by Model in Europe, 2008

The list of the top ten most sold cars in Europe in 2008 by model as calculated by Jato Consult is as follows:

Position	Make & Model	Cars Sold in 2008	% Change vs 2007
1	Volkswagen Golf	458,283	+5.3
2	Peugeot 207	406,163	-7.1
3	Ford Focus	364,638	-8.6
4	Opel / Vauxhall Corsa	360,274	-10.3
5	Renault Clio	335,548	-12.1
6	Ford Fiesta	327,314	-8.0
7	Opel / Vauxhall Astra	320,856	-20.1
8	Fiat Punto	278,934	-26.2
9	Volkswagen Polo	275,921	-4.7
10	Audi A4	255,474	+15.9

New Passenger Car Market in Europe 2008

2008 was a difficult year for automobile manufacturers worldwide and the European new car market was no exception. Although the French and German markets were down by less than 2% each, other major European markets including Spain, Britain, and Italy was down sharply.

Volkswagen had a relatively good year and managed to take three positions on the list of the top ten best-selling car models in Europe in 2008. The VW Golf regained its position as Europe’s favorite car. The new VW Golf VI, critics say Golf 5½, was well received by the market, and should continue to perform well in 2009 as  more models become readily available in the whole of Europe. The VW Polo, which is due for a model change in spring 2009, also sold well and saw an increase of 3.3% during December.

In 2008, the Audi A4 performed very well and with an increase of 16% in sales managed to steal tenth position on the list of top selling car in Europe. The Fiat Punto entered the list at eight position despite a drop in sales of more than a quarter.

Absentees from the top ten list of most sold cars in Europe in 2008 are the VW Passat and BMW 3 Series. Both remained best sellers in the German market in 2008 at positions five and six respectively. (2009 and 2010 car sales statistics for the Top Best-Selling Cars in Europe.)

See also Car Sales Statistics for figures of best-selling vehicles in other countries and continents as well as some odd-ball car related statistics.