Netherlands May 2015: Peugeot 308 and VW Golf on top

The Peugeot 308 and VW Golf are #1 and #2 respectively in the Netherlands.

* See the Top 35 best-selling brands and Top 250 All-models by clicking on the title *

The Dutch new car market is stuck in negative territory: another harsh -9% year-on-year in May to 28.049 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 164.802 units, down 1% on 2014. Volkswagen leads the way as usual in the brand sales charts with 11.9% share above Peugeot (+26%) outpacing Renault (-21%) for the 2nd month running while Ford (+12%) and Opel (-16%) hold onto their respective 4th and 5th spots. Kia impresses in 6th position with 5.2% share (+11%) with Porsche (+65%), Hyundai (+78%), Suzuki (+100%), Jeep (+181%) and Smart (+517%) all posting spectacular increases. New car sales in the Netherlands are heavily skewed by preferential pricing attributed to eco-friendly trims which impacts not just the car but also the overall amount of tax the car buyer is paying. This has had such a drastic impact on the models sold in the Netherlands that some nameplates (e.g. the Mitsubishi Outlander) sell over half their European totals here. There is now talk of ending these practices in 2016.

The Renault Captur hits its best-ever ranking in the Netherlands in May.

The Peugeot 308 is the best-selling nameplate in the Netherlands in May and for the first time in 2015 with 1.295 sales and 4.6% share, after topping the Dutch sales charts for 6 consecutive months between August and December last year. The VW Golf follows at 4.3% while the Renault Clio drops two spots to #3 and 3.6% but remains #1 year-to-date for now at 6.280 deliveries and 3.8% vs. 6.201 for the VW Golf, also at 3.8% share. The Renault Captur breaks into the Dutch Top 5 for only the third time ever after March 2014 and 2015, the Audi A3 brilliantly holds itself inside the Top 10 at #9, the VW Passat stays at #11 vs. #68 in 2014, the Citroen C4 Cactus is up 4 ranks to #14, the Mercedes C-Class up 11 to #17, the Suzuki Vitara up a further 16 to #38 and the Smart Forfour up 19 to #74.

Previous month: Netherlands April 2015: Renault Clio confirms leadership

One year ago: Netherlands May 2014: Renault Clio and Mitsubishi Outlander on top

Full May 2015 Top 35 brands and Top 250 All-models below.