Czech Republic Car Market in 2026 slows down. YTD sales up to February fell by 7%, with Hyundai in particular reporting sharp losses and dropping 31.5% into 3rd. The EV sector managed to stay afloat, despite top brands Skoda and Tesla reporting losses.
Economic Environment
In 2026, real GDP growth in the Czech Republic is expected to slightly slow to 2.4%, driven mainly by domestic demand, while inflation should ease further to around 2.1% and the current account surplus narrow to 0.3% of GDP.
Household consumption will remain strong due to rising real incomes, and corporate investment is projected to recover, although higher imports will continue to weigh on net exports. The labour market is expected to stay tight, with unemployment stable at about 2.8% and continued growth in real wages. Overall, economic expansion will remain steady but modest, supported primarily by internal factors rather than external demand.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
Despite the positive trend of the prior year, the Czech car market began 2026 on a downward note. In particular, YTD sales up to february dropped 7% to 34,344 units.
Brand-wise Skoda ranked 1st (+7.4%), posting a huge lead on the runner-up Volkswagen -up 1 spot- (+1.8%). Hyundai -down 1 spot- ranked 3rd (-1.9%) in front of Toyota in 4th (+6.6%) and Kia in 5th (+24.1%).
Dacia -up 3 spots- ranked 6th (+1.2%), followed by Ford in 7th (+3.8%), Mercedes -down 2 spots- in 8th (+18.8%), BMW -up 1 spot- in 9th (+35.7%) and Renault -up 1 spot- in 10th (+5.9%).
Looking at specific models, for which there is a dedicated article, Skoda held the top 6 spots. The Skoda Octavia kept its position in 1st despite falling 2.8%. The Skoda Kamiq followed in 2nd, up 10.7%.
EV Market Trend and Outlook
Czech EV sector defies the trend and manages to grow 1.7% in YTD sales up to February 2026. Despite still only a limited share on the total, it is estimated that the portion will increase throughout the year, as public EV charging station is being reinforced.
Skoda was still the leader despite losing 13.4% while Tesla fell 8.7% into 2nd. Volkswagen closed the top 3, dropping by 18.4%.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Czech car market expanded overall between 2014 and 2024, rising from 191,938 units to a peak of 270,842 in 2017, supported by strong economic conditions, higher disposable incomes, and solid consumer demand. This upward trend reversed after 2018, with sales declining in 2019 amid growing global uncertainties, followed by a sharp 18.9% drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the market remained relatively resilient compared to peers.
Recovery began in 2021 but was briefly interrupted in 2022 by supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages. Momentum returned in 2023, and growth continued in 2024, with car sales increasing by 4.6% to 230,332 units and further rising by 6.9% to 246,318 units.
Electric vehicles gained traction mainly in the later years of the period. After an initial surge in 2020, EV adoption maintained strong double-digit growth, rising by 81.2% in 2024 and a further 33.9% to reach 12,427 units, though they still represent a relatively small share of the total market.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 models.
