Germany Full Year 2025: VW Golf celebrates 45 straight years at #1

The VW Golf is the most popular vehicle in Germany in 2025.

Discover 95 years of German Historical data here.

New car sales in Germany edge up 1.4% year-on-year in 2025 to 2,857,591 units. Disappointingly, we are still below the 2,917,678 units of pandemic-plagued 2020. Fleet sales hold 66.1% of the total volume (67.5% in 2024) at 1,888,868 units (-0.7%) just as private sales gain 5.8% to 968,723 and 33.9% share vs. 32.5% last year. BEV sales rally back up 43.2% to 545,142 and 19.1% share vs. 13.5% in 2024 and 18.4% in 2023.

Volkswagen advances 4.5% to 19.6% share vs. 19.1% a year ago, with the Top 6 unchanged on 2024. Mercedes (+1%) follows ahead of BMW (+8.9%), Skoda (+10.2%) up to a record 7.9% share and hitting an all time high 8.9% in October, Audi (+1.8%) and Opel (-7.9%). Ford (+8.8%) is up one spot to #7 whereas Seat (-16.4%), Toyota (-8.3%) and Hyundai (-2.6%) struggle. Cupra (+56.1%) surges seven spots to #11 and peaked at #6 in March. BYD (+706.2%) soars to #24 and outsells Tesla (-48.4%) down from #20 to #27.

Model-wise, the VW Golf (-15.1%) suffers and falls to 3% share, just above its lowest ever 2.9% hit in 2023. It ranked #1 for 10 months vs. 8 in 2024 and 7 in 2023. The Golf has now held the German pole position for 45 consecutive years, and for 50 of the past 51 years (every year since 1975 apart from 1980 won by the Mercedes W123) to be compared with “only” 29 wins for the VW Beetle (from 1946 to 1973). The VW T-Roc (+3.8%) stays in 2nd place but sees the gap with the Golf significantly diminish from just under 25,000 sales in 2024 to 6,759 this year. The T-Roc ranked #1 in July and August. The new generation, just launched, means the T-Roc could seriously threaten the Golf in 2026. The VW Tiguan (-5.6%) remains at #3 ahead of the Opel Corsa (+11.8%) up three spots to #4 and the BMW X1 (+26.9%) at #5 but reaching a record 2nd place in December.

Previous year: Germany 2024: VW Golf rallies back up 23.5%, Tiguan signs first monthly win

Two years ago: Germany 2023: VW Golf resists T-Roc assault

Full December 2025 Top 65 All brands and Top 361 All models, Full Year 2025 Top 70 All brands and Top 440 All models vs. Full Year 2024 figures below.