The ranking of the best-selling electric cars in May is mainly determined by the deliveries of models taken with social leasing!
In May, 141,302 passenger cars were registered in France, a decrease of 2.9% compared to May 2023. This is the first decrease of the year. Nonetheless, May 2024 had the same number of working days as May 2023.
Although the French market had shown some improvement, it remains fragile. Dealers point out the uncertainty of customers regarding the choice of motorization. There may also be an anticipation effect of major new releases that have been unveiled in recent months and are taking time to reach the showrooms, such as the new Dacia Duster, the Citroën ë-C3, or the Renault 5.
Recently, the French market has been greatly assisted by social leasing. In May, electric vehicle sales only increased by 5.4%, with 23,892 cars registered (compared to +45% in April). The market share of electric vehicles is still at a good level, at 16.7%, double that of diesel.
The electric 208 continues to dominate the debates, confirming its status as a big winner of leasing. It once again topped the list in May, by far, with 2,662 registrations. In 2nd place, surprisingly, is an almost retired model, the Renault Twingo. The city car is also boosted by leasing, with 1,688 registrations and a year-over-year increase of…457%! The podium for May is completed by another Renault, the Megane, with 1,614 sales.
In 4th place is the Tesla Model Y, with 1,420 deliveries. The electric SUV has seen a sharp decline of 48%. This decline is surprising considering the fact that the American firm has just started delivering the new Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive version. The Model 3 is also not faring well, with 763 registrations, a decrease of 31% (it ranks 10th in May).
In 5th place is the Fiat 500, with 1,396 sales. Following that are the Opel Corsa (1,352), the Peugeot 2008 (1,193), and the Volkswagen ID.3 (1,144), three models also driven by leasing, with respective growth rates of 175%, 112%, and 208%! In 9th place, still in May, is the BMW iX1, confirming its success with 932 sales. It is driven by its versions that benefit from the bonus.
Further down the list, we note the good performance of other vehicles that are also aided by leasing, such as the Skoda Enyaq (752 sales, +143%) or the Opel Mokka (494 sales, +330%).
At the beginning of its career, the Renault Scénic climbs to 12th place (507 units). Peugeot only registered 278 units of the new 3008.
Furthermore, after delivering the maximum number of units before the loss of the bonus, the Volvo EX30 is at a low level (292). The loss of the bonus also affects the MG4, which plummeted. Only 396 units were registered last month, a decrease of 75%!
Since the beginning of the year, the 208 is the undisputed champion with 15,924 sales. It is followed by the Fiat 500 (9,680), the Tesla Model Y (9,361), the Renault Megane (8,099), and the Renault Twingo (7,462).