Best-selling cars in Europe in 2022

New car registrations in Europe fell 19% year on year back in March, while plug-in hybrid and electric models outsold diesels, new data from Jato Dynamics has shown.

Registrations across 27 European markets dropped to 1,116,419, which is 33% lower than March 2020 and a 37% drop compared with pre-pandemic March 2019.

Volume for the first quarter of 2022 is 10% lower than in 2020, down to 2.73 million, which is the lowest level since 1985.

Jato said the drop in sales was “a result of the ongoing uncertainty around the availability of new cars and the invasion of Ukraine”.

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“Although Ukraine isn’t a large market for European car exports, with a small market relative to its population, it remains to be an important source of vehicle parts for major European OEMs,” said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at Jato.

The drop in sales in Ukraine itself has also affected the overall registration number for Europe. Some 103,300 new cars were sold in the country last year, making it the 20th-biggest market on the continent.

However, the uptake of PHEVs and EVs remained healthy. Some 244,801 electrified cars were sold for a rise of 10% year on year, compared with 202,113 diesels for a drop of 39%.

EVs took 62% of all low-emissions car sales, increasing by 46% year on year. PHEVs meanwhile dropped by 22%.

Jato attributed the increased EV uptake on improved government incentives, which don’t apply to hybrids in some European countries.

“We continue to see more and more new EVs enter the market. And with the support of good deals, incentives and shorter waiting times compared with ICE vehicles, it has become easier for consumers to jump on the EV boom,” Munoz said.

The Tesla Model 3 saloon regained the top spot as European best-seller in March, with a total of 20,013 registrations, bolstered by a glut of European deliveries. This figure was, however, 3% lower than 2021.

It was followed by the Peugeot 208 supermini on 21,013 and the new Tesla Model Y SUV on 18,968.