According to the CCFA, the Committee of French Car Manufacturers, 1,337,704 registrations were recorded in 2020, a 26.9% decrease compared to 2019. Although the pandemic has had a huge impact on the car market, sales have not stopped and French brands are still at the top of the podium and in the hearts of the French.
Top 5 best-selling cars in France in 2020 according to the CCFA
Here are the top 3 best-selling vehicle models from January to October 2020. French companies remain the undisputed favourite cars of the French and Peugeot even takes first and third place on the podium.
- Peugeot 208 II with 73,522 sales
- Renault Clio V with 66,910 sales
- Peugeot 2008 II with 53,682 sales
- Citroën C3 III with 48,322 sales
- Dacia Sandero with 45,723 sales
It has been a year of upheaval for the growing electric car sector. Its share increased to 6% in 2020 from just 1.9% in 2019. According to the CCFA, the Renault Zoé is even the 10th best-selling car in 2020.
Another interesting CCFA ranking is that of the best-selling brands, all models combined:
- Renault with 314,630 cars sold
- Peugeot with 301,935 cars sold
- Citroën with 162,688 cars sold
- Volkswagen with 97,784 cars sold
- Dacia with 97,170 cars sold.
This top 5 confirms that the French prefer to buy national brands. Only one foreign brand, Volkswagen, managed to come in fourth place.
Top 5 cars most purchased by the French according to AAA
According to the journalists of BFM TV, the Dacia Sandero is in first place of the podium in the brands of cars preferred by individuals. Indeed, the Peugeot 208 II is the car in first place, but only if we talk about all channels combined: individuals, companies and rental companies. Thanks to a study by data specialist AAA data, the figures are becoming clearer for private car purchases in 2020.
So the Dacia Sandero retains its 2019 title. Renault’s subsidiary remains the leader with this small, simple, no-frills car that appeals to the majority of French buyers.
The top 5 cars sold to individuals by dealers in 2020 is :
- Dacia Sandero: 47,609 models sold
- Peugeot 208: 45,558 models sold
- Peugeot 2008: 36,889 models sold
- Renault Captur: 26,309 models sold
- Citroën C3: 25,184 models sold
If we compare the two rankings, that of the CCFA and that of the AAA, we can see that the Renault Clio is of greater interest to professionals. 84,031 Clios were sold, but only 28% of them to private customers. In contrast, 89% of the Dacia’s purchases were made by private individuals.
Regardless of the type of customer, French manufacturers dominate the French market. Although Dacia is produced in Romania, it remains a subsidiary of Renault. It is interesting to see that this phenomenon is comparable in other European countries. In Germany, the top three best-selling cars are from Volkswagen. In Italy, the patriots favour Fiat, Lancia and Jeep.
France’s favourite premium cars
The CCFA study also provided the top 100 preferred premium cars of the French. This time, foreign brands are taking over. Mercedes is in first place with its A-Class selling 12,146 units and the Mini Mini III takes second place with 11,378 sales. The DS’s still come in third and fourth place with the DS7 and DS 3. The fifth place is attributed to the German brand BMW.
France’s favourite national brands
The Posternak-Ifop barometer is an all-sector ranking that has revealed each year since 1999 the 30 companies in the country that the French prefer. The car brands Citroën, Peugeot and Renault are among them, as well as Michelin, the world’s leading tire manufacturer.
The following question was asked in March 2021 to 1,048 adults: “Based on what you have heard about these large companies in recent months, do you have a very good image, a somewhat good image, a somewhat bad image or a very bad image?”
The survey places four car companies in the top 15 most popular brands in France. Peugeot is in first place, Michelin in fourth, Citroën in sixth and Renault is far behind in fifteenth place.
If you too would like to become a brand that is popular with the French, contact Alioze, the agency specialising in the automotive sector to help you with your communication strategy.
Sources:
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- fiches-auto.fr :
- lamatrice.com :
- BFMTV.com:
- en.yougov.com
photo harry_nl