The death of the car was widely exaggerated. Admittedly, SUVs and pick-ups have taken over in America and some other regions, but Europeans still love their small tailgate cars and others. In 2024, the three best -selling models on the old continent were small cars: Dacia Sandero (James May’s joke), Renault Clio and Volkswagen Golf.
The German Automobile Study Dataforce Study Company lists the Romanian supermini with 270,111 sales in the European Union, Aele and United Kingdom regions. The subcompact tailgate car increased by 14.3 %. The Sandero finished far ahead of its above -end mechanical sister, the Clio, which ended the year 2024 with 216,569 units (+6.5 % from one year on the other).
| Models | Sales | Evolution |
| Dacia Sandero | 270,111 | +14.3% |
| Renault Clio | 216,569 | +6.5% |
| Volkswagen Golf | 216,549 | +17.5% |
| Tesla Model Y | 210,484 | -17.5% |
| Volkswagen T-Roc | 203,611 | -1.5% |
| Peugeot 208 | 199,820 | +2.7% |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 195,297 | +12.1% |
| Toyota Yaris Cross | 194,512 | +10.1% |
| Skoda Octavia | 182,801 | +13.3% |
| Toyota Yaris | 180,806 | +13.8% |
The time when the VW golf course dominated sales in Europe is over. The German tailgate car had to be satisfied with third place with 216,549 cars (+13.5 % compared to the previous year). Yes, only 20 units separate the golf clio, and as the dataforcerepreneurship figures 98 % of all the cars sold in December in the EU+EFTA+UK, this can go in one direction or the other.
It is easy to understand why the Sandero was number 1 last year. Like all Dacia models, it is an unpretentious car, with a low price, decent equipment and a harmless style. Of course, its three -cylinder engines are lethargic, but atmospheric and turbocharged 1.0 -liter engines are sufficient for people looking for a cheap car.
In some countries, the Sandero is sold from the factory with an engine compatible with liquefied oil gas (LPG), which makes it even cheaper for use. On the Dacia domestic market, Romania, LPG is about twice cheaper as standard petrol. Sales could have been even more important if the company held by Renault had kept the diesel engine used by the previous generation models.
-To maintain a low price, the Sandero ignores electrification. However, Denis Le Vot, CEO of Dacia, told Automotive News Europeque it will change in 2027, when the next generation car won an EV variant.
Carried by the success of its Hatch of segment B, Dacia is today a force with which it is necessary to count in the UE+EFTA+UK zone. The figures published by the Association of European Automobiles (ACEA) manufacturers show that the brand held a market share of 4.5 % last year. It is ahead of Hyundai and Kia, who both have a market share of 4.1 %. It has comfortably beaten Ford, whose market share fell to 3.3 %.
Source:
Automotive News Europe, Dataforce, European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA)
