These are the most popular new cars in Belgium

In the first six months of this year, 264,475 new passenger cars were registered in Belgium. That is considerably more than in the first half of 2021. Then the registration counter remained at 195,387 units. However, in the first six months of 2019 – the last year before the corona pandemic – more than 310,000 new passenger cars were registered. The market is therefore not yet at the level of 2019.

Still, 264,475 new passenger cars are a lot. At least, if you put the Dutch figures next to it. In the Netherlands – which with almost 17.9 million people has much more inhabitants than Belgium (about 11.7 million) – 202,595 new passenger cars were registered in the first half of this year. In the Netherlands, the Tesla Model Y was the most popular new electric car, but also the most popular new car regardless of powertrain. In Belgium, the car landscape is shaped differently, although there are similarities.

Most popular car models Belgium, first half of 2023

BMW was the car brand in Belgium that managed to register the most new units in the first half of the year. The absolute registration topper, however, was the Volvo XC40. In the first six months of this year, 5,898 copies appeared on the Belgian road network. The XC40 is followed by the ever-popular Dacia Sandero with 5,828 registered. The Tesla Model Y ends with 5,807 units in third place. The Toyota Yaris is in fourth place with 5,757 units. The BMW X1 closes the Top 5 with 5,103 registrations. Places six to ten are successively occupied by the Mini Hatchback, (4,679 units), the Opel Corsa (4,401 units), the Citroën C3 (4,347 units), the Peugeot 308 (4,270 units) and the BMW 1-series (4,009 units). copies). The Audi A3 and Dacia Duster, each with 3,993 registrations, fall just outside the Top 10.

It is striking that the Peugeot 208, which was in second place in the Netherlands, does not appear in the Belgian Top 10, as well as the Kia Picanto (in the Netherlands in third place) and the Lynk & Co 01 (ranked fifth). We only find the Peugeot 208 in Belgium in 16th place. The Picanto and Lynk & Co 01 are not even in the Top 20.

Fuel: Electric is gaining ground

The number of newly registered EVs is also increasing in Belgium. In the first six months of this year, pure electric cars accounted for a market share of 16.5 percent. That share is 6.2 percentage points higher than in the same period last year. With a share of 45.8 percent, the petrol car is still the most popular, although that percentage is 3.1 percentage points lower than in the first half of 2022. One in ten new passenger cars registered in Belgium still has a diesel engine. In the first half of 2022, however, that share was still over 16 percent. One in five cars was a plug-in (+3.1 percentage points compared to 2022) and the share of hybrid cars without a plug has remained unchanged at 7.5 percent. Interesting: 92 percent of all registered plug-ins and 90.4 percent of all EVs came in the name of a company…

The Dacia Sandero was the most popular car with a petrol engine. The Corsa is in second place, with 3,961 units with a petrol engine registered. This means that in Belgium 90 percent of registered Coras have a petrol engine. In the Netherlands, just 42 percent of the registered Corsa’s were an electric Corsa Electric. An interesting difference. In the list of most popular petrol cars, we find the Citroën C3 in third place, the Mini Hatchback in fourth place and the Renault Clio in fifth place.

The Tesla Model Y (5,807 units) was also the most popular EV in Belgium. The Volkswagen ID4 follows with 2,475 registrations at a considerable distance in second place. Places three, four and five are for the Audi Q4 (2,441 units), Volvo XC40 (2,144 units) and the Volkswagen ID3 (1,938 units). In Belgium, 36 percent of all XC40s delivered in the first half year had an electric powertrain. In the Netherlands, that percentage was 71 percent over the same period. The Volvo XC40 was also the most popular plug-in in Belgium (2,596 units), followed by the plug-in versions of the BMW 3 Series, Volvo XC60, BMW X1 and Ford Kuga.

The BMW 1 Series proved to be the most popular diesel engine car. In the first half of 2023, 1,478 units were registered in Belgium. In second place is the Peugeot 308, of which 1,297 units with a diesel engine have been registered. The fact that our southern neighbors do like French diesels is evident from the rest of the diesel top-5. The Peugeot 3008 (952 units), its bigger brother 5008 (946 units) and the Dacia Duster (719 units) are in places three, four and five.

Private versus companies

Speaking of private and companies: of the 264,475 new cars registered in Belgium in the first half of the year, 176,321 were registered in the name of companies. Private individuals bought a total of 88,154 new cars. Two thirds of the new cars registered in Belgium in the first six months were therefore not privately purchased.

The fact that the Volvo XC40 is the most registered car in Belgium in total does not mean that the XC40 is also the most purchased by private individuals. The Dacia Sandero is in fact the car that is most often bought by private individuals in Belgium. It concerns 5,200 units, which means that almost 90 percent of all Sanderos that appeared on license plates in Belgium in the first half of 2023 were purchased by a private individual. After the Sandero, the Toyota Yaris, Dacia Duster, Dacia Jogger and Citroën C3 are the most popular cars among private individuals. That paints a completely different picture. Belgium is a real Dacia country.

Most popular cars among private individuals

It will not surprise you that cars that are most registered to companies yield a completely different Top 5. Here we find the Volvo XC40 as expected at the top. Of all XC40s registered in Belgium, 5,240 units have been registered in the name of a company or self-employed person. So 88 percent. We find the Tesla Model Y in second place with 4,916 business registrations (87 percent business).

Most business registered cars