Romanian Car Market in 2025 bounced back. Full-year figures gained 3.2%, recovering after reporting losses in H2. Renault and Toyota posted notable gains onto the podium, threatening leader Dacia. EVs continued to shrink, lagging behind EU trends.
Economic Environment
Romania’s economy is projected to grow modestly, with real GDP increasing by 1.4% in 2025 and 2.2% in 2026, after a weak 2024. Growth is supported by construction, agriculture, and EU-funded infrastructure investment, but is held back by domestic political and fiscal uncertainty and the impact of US tariffs on EU trade partners. Inflation is expected to ease from 5.8% in 2024 to 5.1% in 2025 and 3.9% in 2026, though energy and service prices may keep it elevated. The unemployment rate is projected to decline slowly, reaching around 5.2% by 2026, as private sector hiring continues. Wage growth is set to moderate due to a public sector pay freeze and the introduction of a new minimum wage setting mechanism.
Private consumption is currently weak but should recover in 2026 as inflation and interest rates decline. The general government deficit, which hit 9.3% of GDP in 2024, is forecast to drop slightly to 8.6% in 2025 and 8.4% in 2026, following fiscal consolidation measures. However, public debt is set to rise significantly, reaching 63.3% of GDP by 2026. The current account deficit will narrow but remain high, at 7.9% in 2025 and 7.0% in 2026. Overall, the outlook is fragile and vulnerable to downside risks, particularly if political instability and weak external demand persist.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
The Romanian car market showed a general trend of contraction throughout 2025, reporting the sharpest losses mid-year. Towards the end however it recovered, resulting in an overall year-on-year change of +3.2% to 155,961 units.
Brand-wise, the leader was still Dacia with a 29.3% share (+2.9%), followed by Toyota in 2nd with a share of 9.3% (+13.5%) and Renault -up 2 spots- in 3rd with a 7.4% share (+12%).
Skoda -down 1 spot- ranked in 4th (+6.5%), followed by Volkswagen -up 1 spot- in 5th (-2.2%) and Hyundai -down 2 spots- in 6th (-8.9%).
Looking at specific models, reported in the dedicated article, the Dacia Logan was still the best seller despite a 9.9% decrease in year-on-year sales, followed by the Dacia Duster in 2nd down 9.1%.
EV Market Trend and Outlook
Romania’s EV market keeps contracting in 2025, losing 13.5% to just 5% of total car sales. Still affected by the subsidy cut in 2024, Romania’s government reinstated a higher eco-bonus, hinting at a possible future revival of demand in 2025.
Dacia retained the top despite losing 51.1%, followed by Tesla, which dropped 56.3%, and BYD, skyrocketing into 3rd. Hyundai, contrary to its overall performance, posted positive EV growth, up 3 spots and 137.5%.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Romanian car market experienced substantial growth between 2014 and 2019, with new vehicle registrations increasing from 70,172 to 161,533 units. This surge, more than doubling sales, was driven by economic growth, and government incentives such as the “Rabla” scrappage program, which encouraged the introduction of newer, more efficient models.
However, the market faced a significant setback in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a 22% decline in sales to 121,199 units, as lockdowns and economic uncertainty dampened consumer demand. Recovery ensued over the next three years, with sales reaching 142,477 units in 2023 and 149,041 units in 2024, marking a 5% year-on-year increase.
Despite the overall market recovery, EV adoption in Romania remained limited. In 2024, only 9,795 EVs were sold, representing a 32.2% decrease from the previous year and accounting for just 6.48% of the total market share. This decline was primarily due to a reduction in government subsidies under the “Rabla Plus” program, which had previously offered significant incentives for EV purchases.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models
