Spain Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Aug)

Registrations were up 17% for the month of August and plus 15% YTD. No one brand exceeded 8.5%. but eight exceeded 5%. Toyota has been the best selling brand for the past three years and 2025 shows its clear intent on staying there. 

There are two brands that Spaniards call their own, SEAT and the spinoff Cupra marque. The former lost a little market share this year but the latter was up slightly. 

Some Chinese brands are making their mark here. MG is not historically Chinese but now is in all but name and it has reached the top 10. BYD is at 19th, with Omoda four places behind it. Several others are scattered further down the list. 

The top selling models were:

Dacia Sandero - 25,316

MG ZS 17,778 (top picture)

Renault Clio - 16,258

SEAT Ibiza 15,603

Toyota Corolla 14,989

SEAT Arona - 14,947

Peugeot 208 14,327

Hyundai Tucson - 14,095

Nissan Qashqai 13,357 (photo below)

Renault Captur 13,062

Toyota Yaris Cross 12,982

Peugeot 2008 - 12,840

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 50 Models.

Data source: ANFAC.

Picture Source: Fiat & Nissan.

Portugal Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Aug)

Peugeot took the lead in Portugal in 2021 and continues with that down to 2025. Mercedes-Benz is holding on to its highest ever ranking it achieved in 2024. Dacia is doing the same but one place lower. In fact, little has changed from last year. 

The top selling models were:

Peugeot 2008 - 5,748

Renault Clio - 5,031

Dacia Sandero - 4,626

Citroën C3 - 4,458

Dacia Duster - 4,138

Peugeot 208 - 3,780

Renault Captur - 3,126

Tesla Model 3 - 2,889

Peugeot 308 - 2,826

Nissan Juke 2,805 (photo below)

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 50 Models.

Data source: ACAP. Picture sources: Peugeot & Nissan.

Portugal Top 50 Models : 2024

 

I just noticed I didn't publish this data so belatedly here it is. Dacia just managed to take the top spot with its Sandero model. It also is the top model in Europe. 

Peugeot is the best selling brand in Portugal so is well represented at the top of the list. The 2008 is second, 208 fifth and the 308 seventh.

Tesla did well here for the year with the Model 3 third and Model Y sixteenth. The Nissan Juke's sales were 138% and that took the model up to tenth. 

In case you're wondering what the Hyundai Kauai is, it's the Kona model that was renamed to avoid causing any offence. 

Spain Top 50 : 2024

With the colour coding, it shows that Japan in particular does well with some big hitting models but overall Europe has a strong presence here. There is no really dominant brand in Spain and the list below reflects that. 

The budget brand Dacia has the top spot secured with the Sandero doing for the second consecutive year. I make no secret of liking value for money, be it for a budget product or an upmarket one. The good folk of Spain seem to be of a similar mind. 

The Toyota Corolla (top picture) is popular at second while the SEAT Ibiza came up with a rush but just missed out on that second spot. Nissan did well with the Qashqai but especially the Juke (picture below) that jumped from 64th to 39th. Can it build on that? 

Data source: ANFAC.

Spain Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations were up 29% in December and also up 7% for the complete year. That's a very positive way to end the year. Yet it is still over 300,000 short of sales around five years ago and over 600,000 short of the early 2000's. 

Toyota is now getting comfortable at the top of the list. For some years now the top spot was constantly changing mainly due to a low percentage share for even the best selling brands. For instance, Toyota's 9.4% share is the highest since 2007 for the top selling marque. 

VW is losing ground to Toyota despite moving into second. Spanish brand SEAT is doing OK but it is someway off getting back to the top again. In fact, even adding the spun off Cupra marque would still have it falling short of Toyota's figure. Kia has had a bit of a tumble down the list but in such a tightly packed market of similar volumes, a drop is magnified. 

No fewer than eight new brands make this list. Add five from the year before and the number of brands plying their wares is giving the buyer so much choice. More will surely come too so it's getting rather crowded. 

Data source: ANFAC.

Portugal Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations for December were up an impressive 21% and for the complete year up 5%. Peugeot had its fourth year at the top, having dethroned long time leader Renault. Budget brand Dacia is nicely placed in third spot. I'm all for the success of any brand like this that can make a business case for low cost motoring. Not everyone can afford or wants to commit excess funds for personal mobility.

Mercedes-Benz is very popular here as it pulls away from BMW and Audi is well down the list. Toyota is reasonably popular but is not in its usual spot, somewhere higher placed. BYD and MG are two that are making progress but will it continue?

Data source: ACAP.

Portugal Passenger Car Sales : 2023

December registrations were up 11% and for the year they increased 27%. That's not far off historical highs. Peugeot maintained its lead from rival and long time #1 Renault. Mercedes and BMW are surprisingly popular here. Tesla easily over doubled its 2022 market share. 

The 'Diff' column below shows market share change. Nearly all brands actually increased sales. However, the increase is slowing which may indicate pent up demand is being satisfied. 

Data source: ACAP.

Spain Top 50 Sales : 2023

SEAT is the home team but it doesn't dominate the chart as would happen in some countries. The small Sandero Hatchback pipped the SEAT Arona (picture above) for the lead. The Arona may be roomy but I think the lady above is a tad optimistic. Toyota C-HR is fourth, just below the Peugeot 2008. 

The SEAT Ibiza came in the 10th and going by the picture below it is a very popular car, especially among the youth of Spain. Buy one and celebrity status is guaranteed. Personally, I prefer anonymity but each to their own. 

The MG ZS was a hit in 2023 with the brand in total up 321%. Tesla was collectively +188% but the Model Y was 6,800 and the Model 3 6,100 respectively, so neither made the cut here. 

Total sales of 950,000 is ahead of the past three years but before that, they were at the 1.3 million mark. A million sales may be reached in 2024. 

Data source: ANFAC.

Spain Passenger Car Sales : 2023

The Spanish market has been poor for a few years now and as stock is returning, so is the increase. December was up 11%, bringing the yearly total to +17%. So we see there is a slowing of registrations and whether that is a sign of the market getting back to normal time will tell. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, not sales which would have more brands showing an increase.

Toyota has become the leading brand in Spain but with no one able to exceed 9% market share, the likelihood of change is everpresent. Several other brands are not far behind, waiting for their chance. The historical rankings show a pattern of regular change. The picture below is the SEAT León Sportstourer, getting an admiring glance.

Data source: ANFAC.

Portugal Sales : 2022

Registrations for December were +17% and for 2022 were +7% which was very positive. The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change. 

Peugeot went top in 2021 and is now comfortably ahead. Renault is very much in realignment mode regarding volume which enabled Mercedes-Benz to get close to passing it. However, the real surprise to me was Dacia, going from 11th to 4th with a 64% hike in market share and nearly 75% in volume. Toyota is taking a more sedate path but is making progress.  

Data source: ACAP.

Spain Top 50 Sales By Model : 2022

No one brand dominates the Spanish market and likewise no one brand dominates the top model list. Hyundai heads the list with the Tucson, the Dacia Sandero close behind. Toyota has just two models in the top ten but is currently the best selling brand in Spain. 

Data source: ANFAC.

Spain Sales : 2022

Registrations for December were -14% and for 2022 sales were -5%. That end of year figure was lower than most, which for the most part are on a rebound. Another interesting feature was three Asian brands at the top of a major market in Europe. The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change.  

Local brand SEAT was the best selling for the past two years but it has fallen back to sixth. Presumably the Cupra subbrand is the reason, cannibalising sales. Toyota is now comfortably ensconced at the top of the leaderboard in SEAT's place. With no brand managing to get to double figure market share, the top places do tend to change often.  

Data source: ANFAC.

Portugal Top 50 Sales By Model : 2021

I colour coded the list to show where brands historically originated. Europe mainly but Asian models are making progress. Ford is pulling back on cars so the US may become a redundant colour soon. I'll have to think of another division, perhaps separating Japan from other Asian brands. 

Peugeot snatched the top spot from Renault with the 2008 SUV passing the usual leader the Clio. Movement is more pronounced with so much more than just market forces at work. 

Portugal Sales : 2021

Registrations for December were -12% but +1% for the year in total. The '+/-' column below is comparing market share variance for 2021 with 2020. The 2021 figure is well short of the 224,000 in 2019. 

Peugeot has moved into the lead with the usual leader Renault going quickly in the opposite direction. PSA stablemates Citroën and Opel are also on the up. Toyota did well for the Japanese contingent, but Nissan, Mazda, Honda, and Suzuki each suffered a reversal in fortune to a greater or lesser extent.

Point of interest: Renault has been a long term leader here, something Peugeot has never been as far as I can go back. However, Peugeot has been second for the previous five years and finally got past its rival. The margin of over 2,000 looks healthy too.  

Data source: ACAP.

Spain Top 50 Sales By Model : 2021

I colour coded the list to show where brands historically originated. Europe predominates as expected. The lack of a clear leading brand means the list has plenty of variety at the top. Some of the movements are dramatic. The SEAT Arona went up from 6th to top and the Hyundai Tucson was 20th and suddenly 2nd. Supply could be at least part of the explanation. 

Data source: ANFAC.

Spain Sales : 2021

Registrations for December were -19% but +1% YTD, following a pattern among many European markets. The '+/-' column below is comparing market share variance for 2021 with 2020 which shows which brands are taking more share and those losing it although with a minimal increase much the same as real increase or decrease. Green (share up) with yellow (less share).  

None of the top brands could get close to a 10% share, which shows that no one marque is particularly favoured. This is a long standing situation, the last time double digit share was achieved was back in 2005 by Renault. SEAT's sporty spin-off brand Cupra is making inroads very quickly. If the sales were combined with SEAT, then it would be over the 10% mark although had Cupra not been created, SEAT wouldn't be at 10% anyway. 

Point of interest: SEAT was the best selling brand for decades but lost that to Renault in 1980. It was back on top for 2010 and 2011, plus 2018. However, the recent closeness of brands means that holding top spot even for two consecutive years isn't easy. SEAT has done that for 2020 and 2021. The challenge will be to stay there. 

Data source: ANFAC.

Renault Production Spain & Turkey : 2016-20

Renault has plants in these two southern European nations. In 2020, they made 650,000 cars, down from 900,000 just five years ago. Perhaps comparing 2016 with last year (819,000) would be a fairer way to analyse things. There is also a plant in Portugal making gearboxes.  

Spain: 2020 was tough on volumes, enduring a 28% fall. The two car plants are in Palencia and Valladolid, just 60km apart. I'm not sure what the rationale was behind that decision but it seems strange. Three models are made there, including all Captur and Kadjar. 

Turkey: The factory is at Bursa, in the north-west of the country. Volume has been quite consistent here over the past five years. There was a switch back to the Mégane model from the Fluence but that didn't seem to affect the flow of vehicles. The Clio is the mainstay of production here. 

Portugal Production : 2019/20 (By Brand)

Getting data for production is increasingly difficult. The car industry has been more open than most but it may be it is becoming more sensitive about how such information will be presented. Portugal is still allowing us to see what's going on there and may that continue. You may not be aware that the country even has vehicle assembly. I wrote an article back in 2017 and it is worth a visit (click here)  

The VW Group is the largest assembler, making the VW T-Roc, Sharan and SEAT Alhambra. PSA chimes in with the Peugeot Partner, Citroën Berlingo and Opel/Vauxhall Combo. Fuso does the Canter and finally, Toyota with the Land Cruiser. It has also entered a strategic alliance with Caetano in making buses.  

Data source: ACAP. 

Passenger cars were up an impressive 20%  in 2019 but understandably were down 25% in 2020. 

Commercial vehicle production followed the same trend as pcs. PSA is the mainstay of this area which now includes Opel/Vauxhall too. 

Spain Top 50 Models : 2020

Yellow is the order of the day as registrations dropped by over a third. A few models bucked the trend, those shaded in green. The VW T-Cross is a new model as are the Ford Puma and Kia Xceed. The top model surprisingly - to me at least - is the Dacia Sandero. The Nissan Qashqai is to be replaced in 2021 but still delivered, better than in its home market the UK. 

Please note there is a different source for the data in 2020.