France Full Year 2024: Renault Clio snaps last minute win

The Clio nameplate signs a 22nd annual victory at home.

Consult 130 years worth of French Historical Data here.

French new car sales edge down -3.2% year-on-year in 2024 to 1,718,416 units. This is 22.4% lower than the pre-pandemic 2,214,279 registrations of 2019. Petrol is down -20.9% to 507,757 and 29.5% share vs. 36.2% in 2023, diesel sinks -27.2% to 124,952 and 7.3% share vs. 9.7%, hybrids surge 36.2% to 588,896 and 34.3% share vs. 24.3% a year ago, that includes 334,366 full hybrids (+28.8%) and 254,530 mild hybrids (+47.4%). Meanwhile PHEVs fall -10.2% to 146,392 and 8.5% share vs. 9.2% and BEVs edge down -2.5% to 291,143 and 16.9% share vs. 16.8% last year. LPG falls -8.6% to 57,661 and 3.4% share vs. 3.6%.

Renault (-0.2%) tightens its grip on its home market with a share improving from 15.7% to 16.1%. Peugeot (-3.6%) can’t follow at 13.5%, similar to the 13.6% it held over the Full Year 2023. Dacia (-7.3%) has not yet benefitted from its new Duster and falls to 8.4% share but remains in third place. The performer of the year is Toyota, up 18.1% year-on-year and two spots on 2023 to reach a record 4th place with 7.4% share. It hit a record 9% share in October. Volkswagen (-0.7%) is stable and stays at #5 just as Citroen (-11.4%) falls two spots to a lowest ever #6 with just 6.5% share. BMW (+12.7%) and Skoda (+16.3%) excel, the latter breaking into the monthly Top 10 for the first time in August and staying there for the rest of the year.

In the models ranking, the Renault Clio (-6.2%) snaps a last minute win as the Peugeot 208 (+3.1%) was #1 throughout the year up until end-November. This is the 22nd time that the Clio nameplate is #1 at home, a series started in 1992. The Dacia Sandero (+9.9%) cements its third place with an improved 4.4% share. The Peugeot 2008 (-1.6%) and Renault Captur (-3.4%) both take advantage of the discontinuation of the Citroen C3 III (-34.8%) to advance one spot to #4 an #5 respectively. The Peugeot 308 (-18.2%) remains in 7th position but worryingly freefalls year-on-year. The Toyota Yaris (+21.6%) surges 8 spots on 2023 to land at #8 just above its cousin the Toyota Yaris Cross (+8.8%) breaking into the annual Top 10 for the first time at #9, peaking at #5 in July. The Tesla Model Y (-23%) is down 2 spots to #10 but ranked at a record #4 in September.

We have a flurry of new launches this year especially as the split by generation is available. The Dacia Duster III lands at #13 but peaked at #4 in August and December, the Peugeot 3008 III ranks #14 with a best of #5 in October, the VW Tiguan III us #36, the Renault 5 is #50 but ranked at a spectacular #7 in November and #6 in December, the Citroen C3 IV is #51, the Renault Scenic V is #53, the MG 3 is #55 but surged to #7 in December, the Citroen e-C3 is #59, the Renault Symbioz #67 and the Renault Rafale #80.

Previous year: France 2023: Renault and Clio back in charge, Tesla up to #7

2 years ago: France 2022: Market falls -7.8% to lowest in 47 years, Peugeot #1, Dacia #3 above Citroen, Sandero #2 above Clio

Full December and Year 2024 Top 20 brands and Top 80 models vs. Full Year 2023 figures below.