Finnish Cars Market in 2025 is contracting but slowly recovering. YTD sales up to November fell 2.2% showing an improvement after falling sharply in prior months. Volkswagen and Ford managed to defy the brand and climb up the rankings.
Economic Environment
Finland’s economy is expected to almost stagnate in 2025, with GDP growth projected at just 0.1% following the contraction in 2023 and weak expansion in 2024. Economic activity is forecast to gradually recover thereafter, with growth strengthening to 0.9% in 2026 and 1.2% in 2027, driven increasingly by domestic demand. Inflation is projected to average 1.9% in 2025, ease to 1.6% in 2026, and rise to 2.0% in 2027 as price pressures remain contained. The labour market is expected to stabilise, with unemployment averaging 9.5% in 2025 before gradually declining to 9.0% by 2027 as employment recovers. Private consumption is expected to remain weak in 2025 due to high unemployment, low consumer confidence, and rising savings, but should pick up in 2026–27 as purchasing power improves following sizeable wage agreements.
Investment is forecast to strengthen gradually, supported by machinery and equipment spending, defence investment, and a recovery in residential construction from 2026. Exports are projected to expand over the forecast horizon, supported by strong cost competitiveness, while imports are expected to accelerate as domestic demand recovers. Net exports are expected to support growth in 2025 but weigh on activity in 2026 and 2027. The general government deficit is projected at 4.5% of GDP in 2025 and is expected to narrow to 3.9% by 2027 as growth resumes and consolidation measures take effect.
Automotive Industry Trend And Outlook
The finnish car market suffered the unfavourable economic outlook in 20252, shrinking throughout the whole year. Nevertheless, the YTD tally showed a trend of recovery, going from double-digit losses in Q1 to -2.2% up to November, reaching 66,222 units.
Looking at cumulative data brand-wise, the leader was still Toyota with a share of 16.2% (-8.7%), followed by Volkswagen -up 2 spot- with 11.1% (+24.7%), Skoda with 9.9% (+1.6%) and Volvo –down 2 spots- with 8.2% (-25.2%).
Kia ranked 5th (+5.2%), followed by BMW -up 1 spot- in 6th (+2.2%), Mercedes -down 1 spot- in 7th (-10.7%) and Ford -up 4 spots- in 8th (+32.7%).
Audi -up 3 spots- ranked into 9th position (+13.4%), followed by Nissan -down 1 spot- closing the top 10 (-23.6%).
Looking at best selling models the Toyota Yaris Cross was still the leader despite falling 1.4% in year-on-year sales, followed by the Toyota Yaris -up 1 spot- (-2%).
EV Market Trend And Outlook
Despite the downturn, Finland’s EV share is expanding. With a 30% portion of total YTD sales up to November 2025 being EVs, year-on-year growth reached 23%.
Volkswagen was at the forefront, growing 42.1% and 2 spots while Skoda climbed 2 spots into 2nd, up 96.9%. Tesla closed the podium, dropping 2 spots and 31.1%.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Finnish car market has remained quite stable in the passed decade with a main exception in the last 3 years. In fact after a 14.6% growth in 2011 the market remained between a low of 99,832 in 2013 and a peak of 116,743 in 2018 until the arrival of the pandemic.
In March 2020 the Covid-virus arrived in Europe causing many economies to shut down temporarily. The Finnish market suffered a 15.3% loss reaching 93,103 sales by the end of 2020, the lowest levels of the decade.
2021 presented a year of slight recovery, with sales remaining nearly unvaried compared to the previous year. While in 2022 the market lost 16.2% in volume, with cumulative sales reaching 80,061.
A combination of factors are behind the current industry struggle: the disruption in the global supply chain caused by a lack of raw materials, in particular for the production of microchips and Governments push towards Evs, with Scandinavian countries being ahead of this wave.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturer Groups, and top 10 Models.
