Small, electric and low-cost models: what cars will the French buy in 2023?

Small cars, especially electric, Dacia models but also compact ones. In the first two months of the year, these vehicles boosted the French market. Although the number of registrations increased by 9.4% last month, six small vehicles are among the 10 best sellers. At the top of this ranking published by the Automotive Platform (PFA), the Peugeot 208 ahead of Dacia Sandero (2nd) and Renault Clio (3rd).

Among the small models also present in this top 10, the Citroën C3 occupies the 7th place while the Dacia Spring monopolizes the 10th. Toyota’s small urban SUV, the Yaris Cross, ranks 9th. In its latest press release, the data specialist AAA Data highlights this growth in the small vehicle segment: “Segment A (urban cars), that is, 7% of the VPN market, is showing a good evolution (+25%)”. However, the bulk of the French market is still dominated by compacts, which account for 14% of sales.

In search of economic models

Small or medium, whatever the size of the car, the French are looking for cheap models. According to figures from the PFA, sales in the economy and retail category represent close to 55% of registrations in the first two months of the year.

According to AFP, under these conditions, the economic brand of the Renault group, Dacia, increased by 33.9% in one year, to 11,900 registered copies. Dacia thus monopolized a 9.4% market share in February, with in particular the Sandero and Spring but also the good start of its 7-seater family vehicle, the Jogger.

16% of registrations are electric cars

Another example of this search for the best price by consumers: the Chinese manufacturer MG Motors, one of the brands of the giant SAIC, indicated this Wednesday that it registered 1,533 vehicles in February, driven by its compact MG4. Thus, just over 1,000 copies of this 100% electric compact, a rival to the Rebault Mégane E-Tech, were sold last month.

Electric vehicles also continue to gain ground in the French market. Electrics accounted for 16% of sales in February, up from 12% in February 2022. Industry leader Tesla posted a slight decline in February, with 3,376 sales (-5.78%), including a majority of SUV Model Y.