Sweden Top 50 Models: 2025

Passenger car registrations were 272,987 (+1.3%), with 36.5% electric and 26.7% plug in hybrids. That is 63.2% of the total, the highest share ever. Seeing as electric cars sell strongly here, it is noticable that Chinese models are absent. I assume Swedes are cautious about unfamiliar brands. 

Looking at the chart below, colour coding helps to identify where the various models hail from. Europe is the predominant source for cars, with a few Japanese and Korean models. 

Volvo and VW are the two most popular brands and they feature toward the top end of the Top 50 list. Toyota and Kia have some success here. The Tesla Y has spectacularly dropped 68% but still managed 4th place.

Data source: Mobility Sweden.

Photo source: Volvo (XC60) & VW (ID.7).

Sweden Passenger Car Sales : 2025

Registrations were up 1.3% for 2025. 2024 was a poor year compared to recent history, so 2025 is another one. Volvo has always been the best selling marque and will be staying there. Market share (ms) was up 3% and its 17.9% share is the highest since 2020. Plenty of loyalty on display here.

VW ms is up an impressive 31% and Toyota managed a 5% gain. Subaru is a really odd case. In January 2025 it sold 2,580 for a 640% increase yoy. Since then, it sold a mere 479 cars. A February surge in ethanol fuel tax was the reason.

Tesla was down 67% and I assume it wasn't just market forces that was behind it. I wonder if this is a backlash for trade issues with the EU. Škoda was up 24%, Polestar and Cupra both up 29%  with the Tavascan and Terramar the main reason for the upturn. MG and Citroën are going the other way, down 48& & 34% respectively. 

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 50 Models.

Data source: Mobility Sweden. Picture Source: Volvo & Škoda Sverige.

Sweden Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations were down 11% in December and minus 7% for the complete year. Volvo's market share of 17.4% is the best since 2020 which is an amazing number considering they are a premium brand with a somewhat limited range of cars. Local support at its best. 

Sweden's a place where things move around fluidly so change is very much the norm. A few years back, I thought that VW would eventually overtake Volvo as it closed the gap between them but that's an unlikely outcome as the gap now substantially widens. 

Tesla is up to third and Toyota has passed Kia for fourth spot. Mercedes-Benz has come back after slipping for a few years. Chinese brands have arrived and their electric cars are proving to be quite popular. All these new brand are making it a long list.

Data source: Mobility Sweden.

Sweden Top 50 Sales : 2023-24

Sweden like many other places is pushing for lower carbon dioxide emissions but in 2024, there was a slight increase in them. Electric car registrations fell 16% despite the Tesla Y doing well. These things will ebb and flow to a certain extent depending on many factors that will influence car buyers.  

Volvo didn't take the top spot but they did secure the next four places and Volvo's dedicated electric brand Polestar also made the top ten. 

The list is colour coded to show country/region of origin. Europe is the main supplier of cars with a reasonable smattering of Asian brands. Interestingly, Kia does well here but no Hyundai models make the top 50 or get anywhere near it. I must say I prefer Kia of the two. 

Data source: Mobility Sweden. Picture source: Volvo.

Sweden Top 50 Sales : 2023

Tesla has done something rarely done, bumped a Volvo model off the top spot. The VW Golf managed it in the year 2016 but throughout the 21st century, that was the only time. The home town hero took second and fourth, the combined ID4 and 5 in between them. 

European brands are the most common in this list but Asian ones are strong toward the top of the list. Electric cars are expected to slip in 2024 as consumers constantly need incentive schemes to compensate for the higher purchase price. If so, the list may be in for a shake up.  

Data source: Mobility Sweden.

Sweden Passenger Car Sales : 2023

Registrations for December were down 17% and barely managed to get into positive territory with a 1% gain for the year. Delayed deliveries for vehicles were finally being met earlier in the year hence the weaker end to the year. 

Electric cars amounted to 39% of the market and plug in hybrids 21% which combines to just under 60%. 2024 is expected to see a fall in that percentage share with private sector take up softening despite strong business sales. This is due to the ending of a climate bonus scheme, which encouraged private buyers toward electric cars of some sort. 

The 'Diff' column shows market share change which would also reflect whether registrations were up or down in volume. Volvo remains well ahead of the rest despite being down. VW and Kia were also down but Toyota improved its share ever so slightly. Tesla impressed with its move into the top five. Chinese brands are now appearing in ever greater numbers. 

Cupra's 2022 figure is not a full one, with some sales falling under SEAT. The 2023 is much closer but may be a tad low too. The issue will be sorted out in 2024. 

Data Source: Mobility Sweden.

Sweden Top 50 Sales By Model : 2022

Below are the top selling models in Sweden. Volvo has three of the top five with Tesla pushing into the top ten with the Model Y. 

The colour coding below shows the region where a brand is associated, not where the model is made or from which country the owner of that brand is situated. 

Sweden Sales : 2022

Registrations for December were up 28% but that couldn't stop the full year from being down, -4%. The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change.  Volvo remains top and gained a little on VW. Considering the volatile conditions facing the car industry, the top brands were surprisingly stable compared to 2021.

Newbies from China did well. MG is in its second year and already is a whisker away from a top ten spot. Lynk is also looking solid while new entrants BYD and Ora did extremely well in their inaugural year. In the Māori language, ora means healthy, matching the registrations of the Ora car brand nicely.  

As for new Euro marques, Volvo spin off Polestar is already in a starring role, and SEATS equivalent is trouncing its donor brand. 

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Top 50 Sales By Model : 2021

"I'm sure there is a charging point around here somewhere"

It quickly becomes apparent that the models that are succeeding in Sweden have some sort of electrical propulsion. Government incentives are attracting punters like fruit flies to vinegar. I don't know how the charging infrastructure is in rural areas but I assume it's pretty good. 

I colour coded the list to show where brands historically originated. Europe is the predominant region as one would expect. Whether sales went up or down is revealed in the '+/-' column. No surprise with the top three placings but Kia taking the next two is an interesting development. 

Point of note: While the detail provided by Bilsweden regarding model sales is impressive, it does have a couple of notable exceptions. A total of 777 Volvo sales are not allocated to any model. Admittedly, that is less than 2% of the total but hard to fathom. As for Lexus, over half of its sales are not assigned.  

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Sales : 2021

Registrations for December were -20% but +3% YTD. A change in an incentive policy (downward) for hybrid cars from the 1st of April and an increase of incentive for full electric cars has created some volatility with brands affected by the change. 

The semiconductor shortage hasn't helped in almost eroding all the registration gains made earlier in the year. In the end sales did not get near pre-covid numbers, being about 50,000 units short once 2021 had bade farewell. 

The '+/-' column below is comparing market share variance for 2021 with 2020. Volvo is still the best-selling brand here, with VW losing more registrations than Volvo managed. VW had been closing in slowly year by year but for now at least, a reversal. 

There is a sizable drop back to Kia and Toyota at third and fourth respectively but they have closed the gap to some extent during 2021. MG is moving on up, not surprising considering the increased incentives on offer. Volvo's Polestar electric brand is still improving while the Geely owned Lynk & Co (Volvo's owner also) started quite strongly. The 01 model it's selling has much in common with the Volvo XC40. 

Point of interest: Volvo has been the top selling brand every year since 1958. How has Volvo managed to do that? It must be due in no small measure to local support for a company that adds much to the economy. Even though now it is foreign owned, it is still a valuable contributor. It makes sense to support local manufacturing regardless of who owns it and Swedes get that. I can think of only one exception to that (in another country). 

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Premium Comparison : 2020

Premium sales were -16.5% for 2020, slightly better than the overall total. Local hero Volvo maintained its top spot with ease but its share has fallen from 51% two years ago to 44%. I assume its part of a strategy to improve margins. 

BMW is behind Mercedes and Audi as a stand alone marque but with MINI, is still comfortably ahead. Like other places, both Jaguar and Alfa Romeo had a poor 2020. The new Polestar marque from Volvo is a new addition and came in at 7th, a strong start. 

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Top 50 Models : 2020

With Volvo registrations -42% in December, it wasn't a great finish for the marque. Still, they took the top three placings thanks to the XC40 doing well and the VW Golf not. Kia had a very strong December, with a 25% increase in a market -29%, the Niro and Cee'd in fine form. The Toyota RAV4 was up nearly 250% in December, helping push it up from 17th to 9th. 

Electric and hybrid models made gains so any model offering such did well. If a car still relies on ICE propulsion alone will be increasingly marginalised in Europe.  

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Car Sales : 2020

Land Rover are doing OK in Sweden

Registrations were -29% in December and -18% YTD. The YTD figure is quite good but not so much December, in part reflective of a strong December last year. The 291,600 sales were over 64,000 down on 2019 and the lowest total since 2013.

Electric and Hybrid passenger cars increased 132% in 2020, 94,000 units the final result. The share these vehicles took went from 11% to 32%. For now, hybrids are increasing faster than full electric cars. The arrival of Volvo's Polestar electric brand had an immediate reaction, with over 1,640 registrations already. The Kabe Husbil is a motorhome so I'm not sure why it's included under passenger cars. Maybe that happens for other brands as well but not in a way it can be detected. 

A definite shift toward the larger selling brands is evident here. Kia and Toyota were about the same as last year while further down, Citroën, Porsche and Land Rover held up well. Renault, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi are noticeable for the opposite reason. 

Data source: Bilsweden.

Sweden Pick Up Sales : 2015-19

This is a typical pick-up line in Sweden

Just when I thought pick-up sales around Europe followed a pattern, along comes Sweden. VW usually follows in the wake of Ford and Japanese brands but here it has a clear lead. The Ranger is generally top in this region but is fourth. What is the same is the three at the bottom.

If the three derived from the Nissan Navara are combined, collectively they do very well. The Fullback added to the Triton also lifted it out of the also-ran category briefly. What it does show is that brands using the same basic model didn't canabalise sales off each other.

	Sweden Pick-Up Sales
	Make	Model	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
	VW	Amarok	2,234	2,213	2,612	1,764	1,794
	Nissan	Navara	1,533	1,658	1,453	1,609	1,118
	Toyota	Hilux	1,475	1,430	1,390	1,338	1,154
	Ford	Ranger	1,242	1,582	1,470	1,350	1,158
	Isuzu	D-Max	670	679	563	591	458
	Mitsubishi	Triton	622	794	910	934	902
	Mercedes	X-Class	600	857	129	-	-
	Renault	Alaskan	161	317	98	-	-
	Fiat	Fullback	95	322	308	130	-

Data source: Bilsweden.

For more on pick-ups, try these if you wish.

2019: Australia/New Zealand/South Africa 

2015-19: Belgium Denmark France Iceland Italy Sweden United Kingdom

Argentina Brazil Indonesia Thailand

2015: World Top 50

Sweden Top 4 Brands : 2010-19

The past decade has seen the same two marques at one and two. How different to when the series started back in the 1950-59 decade when positions changed regularly. At last third and fourth has been more keenly contested. It was Toyota and Audi in a stoush early on, the latter retreated with a blood nose. Then Kia came into the frame, took on the Big T and for now is winning.

A the sun sets on the past ten years, local loyalty has shone through. Toyota hasn't been able to close the gap on VW, perhaps Kia can do so. Maybe the car market is a bit too affluent here for that to happen.

Year	1st		2nd		3rd		4th
2010	Volvo	53,718	VW	35,692	Toyota	21,628	Ford	17,856
2011	Volvo	58,862	VW	43,492	Audi	18,872	Ford	16,954
2012	Volvo	52,800	VW	42,732	Audi	17,082	Toyota	16,608
2013	Volvo	53,939	VW	39,393	Audi	17,238	Toyota	17,202
2014	Volvo	61,496	VW	44,948	Toyota	19,338	Audi	18,613
2015	Volvo	71,221	VW	51,913	Toyota	20,508	Audi	20,463
2016	Volvo	71,238	VW	57,823	Audi	22,662	Toyota	22,332
2017	Volvo	75,506	VW	57,450	Toyota	23,076	Kia	23,037
2018	Volvo	69,943	VW	53,471	Kia	23,045	Toyota	21,795
2019	Volvo	65,273	VW	48,927	Kia	25,453	Toyota	22,879

Data source: Thanks to BilSweden.
For others in the series, please click on the years: 2000-09, 1990-99, 1980-89,
1970-79, 1960-69, and 1950-59.

Sweden Premium Comparison : 2010-16

Premium cars are proving popular in many nations. They are often outselling cheaper mainstream brand while at the same time making more profit. More recently the most aggressive attack on this segment have been the BAM marques, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. However other car makers are striking back and the competition is heating up. So a look at sales in this decade would be interesting.

First taking the BAM brands out of the equation, how are things shaping up in Sweden? From 2010 to 2016, other premium sales were up 38%. Now individually: Porsche +180%, JLR +139% (LR +130% Jag 156%) Lexus +100% Volvo +33% Alfa Romeo -1% and Cadillac on the periphery.

Year	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
Total	77,065	76,379	65,046	56,477	55,262	61,756	56,043
Volvo	71,238	71,221	61,496	53,939	52,800	58,862	53,718
Lexus	1,644	1,532	1,025	717	720	993	821
JLR	1,459	1,219	1,256	1,031	938	856	610
Land Rover	907	985	1,079	832	822	639	394
Jaguar	552	234	177	199	116	217	216
Porsche	1,335	1,215	819	554	522	490	477
Tesla	1,125	996	266	-	-	-	-
Alfa Romeo	208	125	175	230	271	542	210
Cadillac	56	71	9	6	11	13	207

Summary: Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover and Lexus but only Volvo has any real volume of the brands involved in this section.

                                                 *******************

Now adding the other brands to the BAM marques, how do things stack up? Total sales growth goes to 45%, due to the BAM brands increasing 56%. The 'Others' took 57.5% in 2010 and 54% in 2016. The BAM marques took 46% of all premium sales in 2016.

Year	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
Total	141,624	133,342	114,965	100,481	101,332	109,940	97,397
Others	77,065	76,379	65,046	56,477	55,262	61,756	56,043
BMW Group	24,914	22,479	19,771	17,552	17,580	17,451	14,709
BMW	22,146	19,684	18,125	16,192	16,088	16,036	13,959
Mini	2,768	2,795	1,646	1,360	1,492	1,415	750
Audi	22,662	20,463	18,613	17,238	17,082	18,872	16,170
Mercedes	16,983	14,021	11,535	9,214	11,408	11,861	10,475

Summary: The BAM trio have to play second fiddle to Volvo in Sweden. In fact, Volvo outsells all other premium brands combined! The BMW Group has overtaken Audi to lead the BAM Marquez. The three biggest in 2016 were 1) Volvo, 2) BMW & Mini, 3) Audi.

Data source: Bilsweden.
Text source: RayCee.