The Peugeot 208 Is Now the Best-Selling Car in Europe

Photo: Peugeot

The Peugeot 208 has finally beat out the Volkswagen Golf to become the best-selling car in Europe. The VW Golf had long held the title of the undisputed champ in the European market. The German hatch managed to remain the best-selling car in Europe since 2007, but a five percent sales increase of the Peugeot 208 has bumped the French supermini to the top. In 2022, Peugeot sold 206,816 models of the 208 while Volkswagen sold 177,203 models of the Golf, according to data from JATO Dynamics.

The number of Golf models sold in 2022 represents a 14 percent decline over last year, which is troubling for Volkswagen. Not only did the Golf cede its crown to the 208, but it’s also slipped down the list of best-sellers by more than one place: the VW Golf is now in fifth place behind the Peugeot 208, Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen T-Roc, and Fiat 500, which sit at first to fourth place, respectively.

It was a good run for the Golf, but its reign has ended as JATO global analyst Felipe Munoz explains:

“The success of the Golf is owed to the fact that it was able to meet the needs of a wide range of consumers without leading in any given parameter. But times change, and today consumer priorities are quite different from some years ago.”

In addition to challenges with software, Volkswagen faced a new wave internal competition with increasing appetite for SUVs, and the growing popularity of its siblings, the T-Roc, Tiguan, Karoq, Ateca, and more recently the [Cupra] Formentor. While not direct rivals, these vehicles sit near the Golf in terms of pricing. The Peugeot 208 emerged as the beneficiary of these challenges.The last time Peugeot led the European market was in 2007, with the Peugeot 207.

It’s fitting that the Peugeot 208 would be the one to dethrone the Volkswagen Golf in this conclusion to a rivalry that spans close to a decade and a half. The Peugeot 208 is not all that different from the VW Golf, but as the Golf moved upmarket it became pricier, while the Peugeot stayed closer to its roots as a relatively cheap compact, making it available to more buyers. And that much is obvious from the JATO sales data:

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Graphic: JATO Dynamiccs

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The price difference between the Golf and 208 ranges based on the country — Europe is a big region comprising some 30 markets — but the Golf costs more than the 208 by thousands of euros in some places. I don’t want to put the 208 in a box squarely about price, however, because the little hatch deserves better.

The so-called New 208 has a stunning design. Those silly vertical LEDs shouldn’t work, but they don’t detract from the front end at all. Instead of looking like a bad Dracula costume on Halloween, the 208’s fangs make it look like the big cat on its badge, prowling for game. Every time I see one in Mexico, I get excited and want to follow the car but I know I’ll look like a maniac for giving a thumbs-up to someone driving their average inexpensive compact.

As if the Peugeot 208 wasn’t cool enough, there’s also a fully-electric version called the e-208 that has nearly 250 miles of range. The electric motor in the 208 EV makes about 134 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. The gas-powered Peugeot 208 comes with a variety of powertrains (including turbodiesel engines) but the base configuration is a 1.2-liter inline three-cylinder engine that produces about 73 HP and 87 lb-ft of torque. The base model 208 is no hot hatch, that’s for sure. But it’s nonetheless the new best-selling car in Europe.