French Auto Market in 2025 suffers a dip. Full-year sales fell 5.1%, with only Skoda reporting significant gains and securing a spot in the Top 10 while Mercedes left the rankings. EV growth remained subdued, with Tesla losing in double-digits.
Economic Environment
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
The weak economic outlook slowed down the automotive industry, extending last year’s decline. Full-year sales for 2025 dropped 5.1% in year-on-year volume, reaching 1,631 million units.
Brand-wise, Renault was the best seller with 17.5% of the market (+3%) followed by Peugeot in 2nd with 13.5% (-5%) and Dacia in 3rd with 8.5% (-3.9%).
In 4th place ranked Citroen -up 2 spots- (+3.6%) ahead of Volkswagen in 5th (-7%), Toyota -down 2 spots- in 6th (-13.7%) and BMW in 7th (-9.3%).
Skoda climbed 3 spots into 8th (+13.8%) followed by Audi in 9th (+1.8%) and by Hyundai in 10th (-2.3%).
Looking at the best selling model, widely reported in the dedicated post, the leader was still the Renault Clio (+9.9%) ahead of the Dacia Sandero (-15.2%) and the Citroen C3 -up 1 spot- (+21.7%).
EV Market Trend and Outlook
EV tally is affected by the broader stagnation 2025, with YTD figures up to November growing only 0.9%. Totaling a share of 16% on the total, government’s reduction of subsidies have constrained the sector’s growth, with the amount for the remaining bonuses yet to be confirmed.
Peugeot retained the largest share of the market at 24.7% while growing 6.9%. Renault followed in 2nd despite stagnating. The brand, however, is investing in battery tech and expanding affordable models, starting with the Renault 5, hinting at a future expansion. Tesla dropped from 2nd to 3rd, down 35.9%.
Medium-Term Market Trend
Over the past decade, France’s car market has experienced significant ups and downs. From 2014 to 2018, steady GDP growth drove a 21% increase in sales, peaking at 2.2 million registrations in 2018—the highest point of the decade.
The pandemic in 2020 dealt a severe blow, shutting down dealerships and factories, causing a 19.8% decline to 1.65 million sales, an all-time low. Post-Covid, the market struggled to recover, with sales stagnating at 1.7 million in 2021 and dropping 7.8% in 2022 as European policies pushed EV adoption, making car ownership more expensive for many consumers.
Despite projections of weak demand, 2023 rebounded with a 15.9% surge to 1.77 million, before contracting 3% in 2024. Meanwhile, the EV sector gained momentum, despite a 22% dip in 2018. Heavy government investment and rising competition from Chinese automakers fueled a massive 175.9% increase in EV sales by 2024, solidifying their role in the market’s transformation
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models.
