VW, BMW and Mercedes have a market share of 39.9 percent in Europe.Image: keystone
January 27, 2026, 11:10January 27, 2026, 11:15 am
German car manufacturers more than defended their market shares in Europe last year.
Together, the VW, BMW and Mercedes companies had a market share of 39.9 percent, according to figures from the European manufacturers’ association Acea. That was 1.2 percentage points more than a year ago. VW in particular significantly expanded its market share. BMW also grew, while Mercedes remained stable.
Overall, car sales in the EU increased by 1.8 percent to 10.8 million vehicles in 2025. This is the highest value this decade – but it is still well below the pre-Corona level of 13 million cars in 2019, as an analysis by the consulting firm EY shows. At that time, the market share of German companies was 37.1 percent, 2.8 percentage points lower than in 2025.
Electric cars are increasing rapidly, pure petrol cars are less in demand
The proportion of fully electric cars rose significantly in the EU from 13.6 to 17.4 percent, and even to 19.5 percent across Europe. On the other hand, the proportion of pure petrol engines has fallen significantly, falling from 33.3 to 26.6 percent. Hybrids now have the highest share of the market, which – not counting plug-in hybrids – came to 34.5 percent – 3.6 points more than a year ago.
Tesla is losing significantly across Europe
If you look at the competition from German companies, a mixed picture emerges. At Tesla it will slump observed in Germany (48% decline in sales) also significantly across Europe – from 2.3 to 1.4 percent market share. The Stellantis group, which includes Peugeot, Opel and Fiat, also lost from 16.4 to 15.3 percent.
In contrast, the Chinese companies SAIC and BYD were able to increase their market shares significantly: SAIC by a third, BYD was even able to more than triple its market share – both, however, at a low level. BYD now has a market share of 1.2 percent and SAIC 1.9 percent, more than Tesla.
Cautious expectations for 2026
“We saw a slight recovery in the new car market last year. Overall, however, things are only improving at a snail’s pace,” says Constantin M. Gall from EY. “The market will only recover slightly in the coming year.”
The general conditions are still poor and there is great reluctance to buy among both private customers and companies. The economy is weakening and many people are worried about their income or jobs. “The high new car prices, which are not least due to regulatory requirements, also deter people from buying new cars,” said the EY expert.
(sda/awp/dpa/oli)