France March 2026: Dacia Sandero, Tesla Model Y and Renault Clio VI in photo finish

2 April 2026 at 15:44

First podium finish at home for the Renault Clio VI.

For the first time since last October, the French new car market is actually up year-on-year in March at a very robust +12.9% to 173,633 units. Keep in mind however that March 2025 was off -14.5% on the year prior. Due to a poor start of 2026, the Q1 volume is still in negative at -2.1% to 401,555. Encouragingly, private sales soar 22% to 80,183 and 46.2% share vs. 42.7% in March 2025. Long term leases among private buyers are up 42% to 28% share and short term rentals are up 19%. Meanwhile fleets are struggling at -3% to 39,172 units and 22.6% share vs. 26.3% a year ago, but BEV sales within fleets surge 77% year-on-year to reach 41% share. In the market as a whole, BEVs are up 69% to 49,406 units and 28.5% share vs. just 19% a year ago and year-to-date volumes are up 50.4% to 112,086 and 27.9% share vs. 18.2% over the same period in 2025.

The Tesla Model Y is just 15 units off a historical pole position.

In the brands ranking, Renault (+13.6%) manages to beat the market to reach 19.2% share, its highest since June 2022 (21.3%). In contrast Peugeot (-11%) is in dire straits and falls to a paltry 12.1% share vs. 14.1% so far this year. Dacia (+12%) returns to #3 after a couple of though months and climbs back up to #4 year-to-date. Citroen (+23.2%) is in excellent shape thanks to a renewed lineup and distances Volkswagen (+4.2%) and Toyota (-0.6%), both weak. Tesla (+203.1%) delivers an outstanding result, soaring to #7 with 9,569 sales and 5.5% share. This is the carmaker’s best ranking since December 2023 (#6), 2nd highest volume for just 3 units and highest share since November 2023 (6.1%). Fiat (+53.4%), BMW (+37%), Kia (+27.4%) and Audi (+20.3%) shine below. In the BEV brands ranking, Renault dominates with 9,613 sales (+46%) ahead of Tesla and Peugeot at 4,003 (+30%).

The Renault Twingo IV breaks into the Top 50 for the first time.

We have a completely reshuffled models charts, with the Top 3 fitting within less than 50 sales. The Dacia Sandero (+12.4%) is the overall best-seller with 4.1% share, the nameplate’s first monthly win since July 2024. Just 15 units below is the Tesla Model Y (+203%), reaching #2 with over 7,000 sales and 4% share. These are all records, beating its previous best of #4 (March 2023 and September 2024), 6,456 sales (March 2023) and 3.5% share (March 2023 and September 2025). Note that Tesla offered an additional 3,000€ cash for clunkers for the Model Y from January 9 to March 31. For its first real month of sales, the Renault Clio VI is up 8 spots on February to crack the podium for the first time at #3. The Peugeot 2008 (+4.7%) edges up at #4 while the Peugeot 208 (-26.8%) is in complete freefall at #5 but still tops the YTD charts. Other notable results include the Citroen C3 Aircross at #9, the Renault 5 down to #11, Tesla Model 3 up to #19 and the Renault Twingo IV breaking into the Top 50 at #47

Previous month: France February 2026: Citroen C3 best-seller, Renault Clio VI back outside Top 10

One year ago: France March 2025: Renault Symbioz cracks Top 10, Tesla off -36.8%

Full March 2026 Top 25 brands and Top 75 models below.

France March 2026 – brands:

Pos	Brand	Mar-26	%	/25	Feb	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Renault	33,386	19.2%	+ 13.6%	1	75,205	18.7%	+ 5.1%	1	1
2	Peugeot	21,079	12.1%	– 11.0%	2	56,532	14.1%	– 13.5%	2	2
3	Dacia	14,884	8.6%	+ 12.0%	4	29,638	7.4%	– 17.8%	4	3
4	Citroen	13,315	7.7%	+ 23.2%	3	34,488	8.6%	+ 9.1%	3	4
5	Volkswagen	10,594	6.1%	+ 4.3%	5	25,578	6.4%	– 8.0%	6	5
6	Toyota	9,666	5.6%	– 0.6%	6	26,637	6.6%	– 10.8%	5	6
7	Tesla	9,569	5.5%	+ 203.1%	9	13,945	3.5%	+ 108.4%	7	18
8	BMW	6,670	3.8%	+ 37.0%	7	13,316	3.3%	– 8.0%	8	7
9	Audi	5,195	3.0%	+ 20.3%	12	11,020	2.7%	– 0.3%	10	9
10	Skoda	4,785	2.8%	+ 1.6%	8	11,664	2.9%	+ 4.6%	9	8
11	Mercedes	3,995	2.3%	+ 10.6%	16	7,835	2.0%	+ 6.6%	15	11
12	Ford	3,758	2.2%	+ 10.8%	14	8,339	2.1%	– 11.8%	13	12
13	Opel	3,550	2.0%	+ 7.7%	11	9,848	2.5%	+ 19.1%	11	15
14	Kia	3,254	1.9%	+ 27.4%	15	7,464	1.9%	– 2.7%	16	13
15	Fiat	3,250	1.9%	+ 53.4%	13	7,914	2.0%	+ 45.4%	14	20
16	Hyundai	3,173	1.8%	– 1.7%	10	8,875	2.2%	– 13.6%	12	10
17	MG (est)	2,800	1.6%	– 1.0%	17	6,065	1.5%	– 4.0%	17	14
18	Nissan	2,570	1.5%	+ 3.4%	19	5,525	1.4%	– 23.0%	19	16
19	Mini	2,458	1.4%	+ 28.1%	18	5,856	1.5%	+ 5.7%	18	17
20	Suzuki	2,125	1.2%	+ 2.1%	21	4,892	1.2%	– 12.5%	20	21
21	Cupra	1,910	1.1%	– 5.7%	20	4,416	1.1%	– 10.4%	21	19
22	DS	1,376	0.8%	– 1.8%	23	3,214	0.8%	– 12.0%	22	23
23	Volvo	1,170	0.7%	– 3.1%	26	2,534	0.6%	+ 6.1%	26	25
24	BYD (est)	1,100	0.6%	+ 66.9%	22	2,947	0.7%	+ 81.1%	23	24
25	Jeep	1,068	0.6%	+ 4.5%	24	2,652	0.7%	– 1.5%	24	26

France March 2026 – models:

Pos	Model	Mar-26	%	/25	Feb	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Dacia Sandero	7,038	4.1%	+ 12.4%	5	13,633	3.4%	– 22.5%	4	3
2	Tesla Model Y	7,023	4.0%	+ 203.0%	7	10,670	2.7%	+ 127.2%	7	15
3	Renault Clio VI	6,990	4.0%	new	11	12,312	3.1%	new	6	141
4	Peugeot 2008	6,259	3.6%	+ 4.7%	3	14,431	3.6%	– 9.5%	3	5
5	Peugeot 208	6,100	3.5%	– 26.8%	2	17,365	4.3%	– 18.0%	1	2
6	Citroen C3	5,083	2.9%	+ 9.7%	1	14,992	3.7%	– 18.4%	2	4
7	Renault Clio V	4,252	2.4%	– 55.3%	4	12,533	3.1%	– 46.8%	5	1
8	Renault Captur	4,090	2.4%	– 13.4%	10	9,359	2.3%	– 16.5%	9	8
9	Citroen C3 Aircross II	3,773	2.2%	+ 647.1%	14	8,354	2.1%	+ 1018.3%	11	18
10	Renault Symbioz	3,530	2.0%	– 1.2%	12	7,532	1.9%	– 5.0%	15	12
11	Renault 5	3,493	2.0%	+ 4.6%	9	10,084	2.5%	+ 9.8%	8	7
12	Dacia Duster III	3,486	2.0%	– 6.9%	13	7,650	1.9%	– 31.1%	14	9
13	Peugeot 3008	3,165	1.8%	– 10.4%	6	9,236	2.3%	– 23.6%	10	6
14	Toyota Yaris Cross	2,988	1.7%	– 5.1%	15	7,733	1.9%	– 21.8%	13	11
15	Renault Scenic V	2,824	1.6%	+ 26.9%	18	6,896	1.7%	+ 56.9%	17	22
16	Peugeot 308	2,821	1.6%	– 15.5%	8	8,135	2.0%	– 8.2%	12	13
17	Citroen C5 Aircross II	2,630	1.5%	new	17	6,214	1.5%	new	18	99
18	Toyota Yaris	2,629	1.5%	– 3.7%	16	7,467	1.9%	– 4.5%	16	10
19	Tesla Model 3	2,525	1.5%	+ 208.3%	52	3,225	0.8%	+ 65.6%	30	73
20	Renault Austral	2,369	1.4%	+ 5.4%	25	4,738	1.2%	– 9.7%	22	16
21	Dacia Bigster	1,892	1.1%	+ 83.5%	26	4,306	1.1%	+ 284.1%	23	21
22	VW Polo	1,788	1.0%	– 18.9%	21	4,884	1.2%	– 21.9%	21	14
23	VW T-Roc II	1,743	1.0%	new	24	3,957	1.0%	new	25	159
24	Peugeot 5008 III	1,737	1.0%	+ 12.1%	19	5,055	1.3%	+ 10.7%	20	17
25	Toyota Aygo X	1,625	0.9%	+ 72.5%	35	3,441	0.9%	+ 14.9%	27	39
26	Opel Corsa	1,617	0.9%	– 0.4%	23	4,166	1.0%	– 19.3%	24	26
27	Toyota C-HR II	1,552	0.9%	+ 9.3%	20	5,206	1.3%	+ 32.6%	19	29
28	BMW X1	1,481	0.9%	+ 56.4%	43	2,665	0.7%	– 5.5%	38	40
29	Nissan Qashqai	1,481	0.9%	+ 25.4%	34	3,076	0.8%	– 5.8%	32	30
30	Renault 4	1,477	0.9%	+ 24516.7%	44	3,119	0.8%	+ 9646.9%	31	64
31	Ford Puma	1,465	0.8%	+ 18.2%	27	3,866	1.0%	– 1.0%	26	19
32	VW ID.4	1,410	0.8%	+ 195.6%	29	3,300	0.8%	+ 157.6%	29	72
33	Renault Espace	1,353	0.8%	+ 70.6%	76	2,089	0.5%	+ 9.9%	55	51
34	Dacia Jogger	1,326	0.8%	– 19.2%	63	2,330	0.6%	– 43.7%	47	28
35	Mini Hatch	1,309	0.8%	+ 40.5%	40	2,914	0.7%	+ 3.4%	34	35
36	Suzuki Swift	1,250	0.7%	– 7.6%	60	2,750	0.7%	– 25.3%	36	36
37	MG ZS	1,183	0.7%	– 9.9%	36	2,436	0.6%	– 24.0%	42	34
38	BMW Série 1	1,179	0.7%	+ 5.5%	41	2,260	0.6%	– 39.8%	49	33
39	Ford Explorer	1,161	0.7%	+ 420.6%	82	1,803	0.4%	+ 286.1%	61	126
40	Skoda Fabia	1,147	0.7%	– 20.0%	48	2,403	0.6%	– 14.6%	45	41
41	Dacia Spring	1,142	0.7%	+ 88.4%	111	1,719	0.4%	– 18.6%	65	62
42	VW Tiguan III	1,117	0.6%	– 11.1%	33	2,689	0.7%	– 31.3%	37	24
43	Hyundai Kona	1,113	0.6%	+ 4.8%	22	3,321	0.8%	+ 2.3%	28	37
44	VW T-Cross	1,105	0.6%	– 20.5%	42	2,342	0.6%	– 26.3%	46	31
45	Skoda Elroq	1,096	0.6%	+ 254.7%	31	2,911	0.7%	+ 440.1%	35	58
46	Renault Twingo IV	1,059	0.6%	new	139	1,182	0.3%	new	82	344
47	Audi A3	1,052	0.6%	+ 55.9%	47	2,221	0.6%	+ 39.7%	50	45
48	Fiat Grande Panda	1,041	0.6%	new	65	2,135	0.5%	new	53	83
49	Citroen C4	1,011	0.6%	– 69.1%	28	3,061	0.8%	– 50.7%	33	25
50	BMW iX1	1,007	0.6%	+ 82.4%	45	2,326	0.6%	+ 69.9%	48	47
51	Audi Q4	1,006	0.6%	+ 48.6%	72	1,887	0.5%	+ 6.5%	58	68
52	Hyundai Tucson	1,003	0.6%	– 4.0%	37	2,410	0.6%	– 19.9%	44	23
53	VW ID.3	983	0.6%	+ 11.8%	39	2,430	0.6%	+ 15.8%	43	55
54	Mercedes GLA	977	0.6%	+ 28.9%	61	1,793	0.4%	+ 3.5%	62	43
55	Fiat 600	968	0.6%	+ 11.6%	30	2,557	0.6%	– 5.9%	40	59
56	Fiat 500	913	0.5%	+ 54.5%	49	2,107	0.5%	+ 21.7%	54	82
57	Renault Rafale	894	0.5%	– 16.0%	66	1,675	0.4%	– 26.0%	70	54
58	VW Golf	892	0.5%	– 3.8%	38	2,522	0.6%	– 17.0%	41	32
59	Mini Countryman	863	0.5%	+ 54.1%	46	2,202	0.5%	+ 35.2%	51	61
60	Kia Sportage	839	0.5%	+ 17.8%	59	1,718	0.4%	– 12.9%	66	46
61	Ford Kuga	805	0.5%	– 28.9%	56	1,830	0.5%	– 35.1%	60	38
62	Mercedes CLA	781	0.4%	+ 136.7%	73	1,595	0.4%	+ 177.9%	72	112
63	Audi Q3	776	0.4%	+ 70.5%	51	1,986	0.5%	+ 67.2%	57	80
64	Renault Megane E-Tech	756	0.4%	– 23.6%	32	2,636	0.7%	+ 17.2%	39	50
65	MG 3	748	0.4%	– 8.1%	57	1,712	0.4%	– 4.8%	67	42
66	Nissan Juke	748	0.4%	– 13.0%	69	1,601	0.4%	– 33.6%	71	44
67	Skoda Kamiq	719	0.4%	– 13.3%	58	1,712	0.4%	– 7.3%	68	56
68	Audi A1	712	0.4%	– 32.5%	68	1,759	0.4%	– 35.5%	63	52
69	Skoda Octavia	700	0.4%	+ 3.2%	55	1,873	0.5%	– 10.4%	59	48
70	Opel Frontera	665	0.4%	+ 375.0%	53	2,004	0.5%	+ 1137.0%	56	84
71	Peugeot 408	643	0.4%	+ 6.8%	80	1,352	0.3%	– 6.9%	77	87
72	Opel Mokka	638	0.4%	– 36.2%	50	2,140	0.5%	+ 18.0%	52	66
73	MG EHS	635	0.4%	+ 56.8%	67	1,398	0.3%	+ 101.4%	75	76
74	Kia Niro	601	0.3%	+ 3.4%	75	1,358	0.3%	– 5.8%	76	65
75	VW Taigo	584	0.3%	– 24.3%	101	1,056	0.3%	– 40.5%	87	67

Source: PFA

Normal view