The EU’s new-car market got a boost from a mix of old and new brands in May, but how long newcomers can sustain growth into 2026 remains an open question. Registration data from industry association ACEA shows that overall EU registrations rose 3.2% in May, driven largely by newer groups and brands. While established players lost volume, those drops were offset by gains elsewhere — a sign that growing brand diversity is helping rather than hurting the market.
Volkswagen Group still leads, but its grip is loosening
Volkswagen Group topped the sales chart again in May, with 254,011 deliveries and a 26.6% market share. But that share fell 1.9 percentage points year on year, and its volume dropped 3.6%. Over the first five months of 2026, VW Group registered 1,267,224 units — the only group to break the million mark — though its market share slipped 0.7 points to 26.7%.
Stellantis also struggled.
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Its May volume declined 2.6% to 146,381 units, with Peugeot and Citroen falling 12.5% and 4.4% respectively. Fiat’s 22.9% jump helped offset those losses. Stellantis was the only major established group to gain market share over the January-to-May period, up 0.2 points to 16.7%.
Renault Group saw a slight 1.3% drop in May, with 100,507 registrations. After five months its deliveries were 6.2% down, and its market share fell 1.1 points to 10.2%. Hyundai Motor Group took fourth place with 69,204 deliveries, down 1.3%, while Toyota Group posted 67,162 registrations, a small 0.7% decline.
Newer brands are carving out real space
Geely Group — which includes Volvo, Polestar, Smart, LEVC, Lotus, Geely, Lynk & Co, and Zeekr — saw May deliveries rise 9.9% to 27,801 units, giving it a 2.9% market share. Over five months, though, its share slipped 0.1 points. Chery Automobile posted a much bigger jump, with 16,282 deliveries in May, a 239.6% surge, and its market share hit 1.7%. Between January and May, its registrations rose 265.2% to 65,621 units, claiming a 1.4% share.
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The best-selling brand in the EU was once again VW, with 103,124 registrations in May — a 6% decline that still gave it 10.8% of the market. Toyota came second with 62,592 deliveries, down 0.3%. Skoda followed closely with 62,343 units, matching Toyota’s decline. BMW placed fourth with 54,788 registrations, a slight 0.2% increase, and Renault rounded out the top five with 54,460 units, down 1%.
But the two biggest jumps in registrations came from emerging brands.
Leapmotor’s volume rose 447.3% in May, reaching 8,856 units. That gave it 0.9% of the market — still tiny, but enough to surpass Porsche, Lexus, Honda, and Alfa Romeo. BYD, meanwhile, delivered 26,017 units, a 158.8% improvement, and took 2.7% of the market, ahead of Ford, Nissan, and Mini.