This covers new cars sold to private citizens only. The main exclusion is for rental cars. Kia is the leading brand, with Toyota retaining second place and Nissan pushing up into third. BYD is on a mission and is now fourth. There aren't many Chinese brands here yet either, MG another one. BAIC has just arrived and more from China will follow.
Data source: Cystat.
Sometimes things just don't add up, yet it's true. The Albanian car market in 2026 is unprecedented in an extreme way but more on that in a moment. Most new cars sold here are not through Albanian dealers but imported through non-official channels rather than traditional local dealership networks.
It's hard to understand how that can happen in what is, by my understanding, an open market. Chinese penetration is now overwhelming and growing. Legacy car brands are for the most part getting battered. A few are doing well.
Total sales are up 48% YTD but only 7% in July. It will be interesting to see if that was a blip or a sign that things are settling down. As the +/- column is about market share, a decrease in most cases will not mean a drop in sales.
Data source: Dpshtrr. Photos: BYD.
Registrations were down 6% in April but up 5% YTD. Škoda is in its fourth year at the top, having dethroned VW. Renault was at the top in 2003 and while it's along way form regaining that position, at least it's having success in 2026.
So too are Chinese brands, somewhat late to the party but starting to arrive in numbers. With poor sales at home, targeting exports is a way to keep factories gainfully employed.
Photo; Renault.
With colour coding, we see that European models (light blue) are strong and dominate the top end of the list. Renault, Škoda and VW are prominent. Chinese brands are arriving but are yet to have too much of an impact.
Data source: ADS. Photos: Citroën (C3) & Jeep (Avenger).
Data source: Serbian Association of Vehicle and Parts Importers and Cube Team.
Picture sources: Škoda Facebook Serbia & Toyota Serbia.
Registrations in Albania amounted to 10,066, but the amazing thing is that it took 82 brands to achieve that. 21 of them sold two cars or less and the are not included below. Many of the registrations don't appear to be through an official importer, but they are new so I've counted them.
2025 was up 30% for the year and when compared to the average for the previous five years, it was up 133%! BEVs account for nearly half of all sales, driven (hmm) by no VAT (sales tax) being applied to them.
BYD is the leading brand and decisively so. In 2023 it arrived in the country and reached 13th; in 2024 5th. Volkswagen was the top brand for the previous three years but it now resides in second place.
Hyundai was the leader before that but is now 5th, so nothing can be taken for granted. Škoda has slipped one place to 3rd and likewise Fiat down one to 4th. Audi moved up five spots.
The aforementioned proliferation of brands has been driven by new Chinese entrants. One is Fangchengbao (not a typo), which is a BYD brand described as offering luxury electric SUVs. Consumers in Albania certainly can't complain about a lack of choice.
For 2024 sales, click here.
Data source: DPSHTRR.
Data source: Proauto. Picture source: Netcarshow.
Registrations were up a healthy 8% in 2025. Compared to the average for the previous ten years, it was up 38%! Yet this year was well short of any record, but it is moving back to those better times.
Škoda is the top brand and has enjoyed that status for three years, with sibling brand VW being the loser in that tussle. Opel had a pleasant return to form while the Korean duo below them were less fortunate.
Data source: Autonet. Photos: Škoda (Octavia) & VW (T-Cross) Croatia.
Registrations were down 4% for the year, just passing 13,000 units. Kia took the lead from Toyota in 2024 and is now well clear of its rival despite a 20% drop in market share It's just as well Toyota didn'y fare much better.
Hyundai has slipped into third albeit by a hair's breadth. VW has dropped two places in the ranking. What didn't help was 2nd to 5th are so close.
Premium marques do quite well here with several in the top 20. I don't want to keep mentioning Chinese brands but they are moving quickly and aggressively. Here, for now at least, they haven't had much impact.
Data source Cystat.
Registrations are booming in Albania. It seems most of the sales are not through official channels, although they are new cars according to the source. The data was time consuming to assemble and I believe accurate. It's a unique opportunity to see what's happening in a market that is rapidly emerging. Registrations were up 74% in 2023 and 47% in 2024. The 'Diff' column shows the change in market share so they virtually all enjoyed an increase in volume. Those shaded green had extra ordinary increases.
Hyundai was the leading brand in 2021 but VW put an end to that in 2022 while Škoda and Fiat have also since pushed past. As usual, BYD has come from nowhere to be a serious threat to those above. Citroën too enjoyed a good twelve months. MG roared up the chart but then slipped back.
Data source: DPSHTRR. Photograph: VW Albania.
VW, Renault and Škoda are the three biggest brands here and that shows as we see the list of the best selling models. European brands take the first nine places and then some Asian ones enter.
The Nissan Qashqai came from 54th to 18th so that was quite some leap. VW Vans is mainly the Multivan but also the California and they did the same as the Qashqai.
Data source: ADS.
Registrations were -8% for the complete year and -20% in December. Škoda leads the way as it does in several countries in Europe. Its share of 22.3% is very strong and becoming more so. Parent company VW will be happy with that but less so with a 21% loss in market share.
Toyota closed the gap on VW but remained as it has been for a few years now. Suzuki is improving but Dacia is going the other way.
Data source: Proauto. Picture source: Škoda Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Registrations were up 15% in December and 8% for the year so an upbeat result. VW is clearly the most popular brand here and has been since 2014. Before that it was Renault and it is having a good year in making up some lost ground.
European brands do best here but by no means dominate. A few Chinese brands have entered the market and are having some initial success.
Data source: ADS.
Registrations were up 7% in December and 13% for the year, reaching 63,800 registrations. That's the best total since 2008 although 24,000 short of that year's record performance so 2024 is a good result but not the best one ever.
Škoda is in its second year at the top, having displaced its sibling brand VW, albeit an older brother. It's the highest market share ever, baring 2020. VW was the top dog going back to 2011 when it took over the helm from Opel.
Opel is enjoying a revival after a poor 2023. This is the mirror opposite to Renault's unusually strong 2023 which has not been sustained in volume but it did hold its ranking at third. It's been a year of change, with most brands up or down quite substantially. One change that didn't happen was the top spot.
Data source: Promocija plus.
