Tesla Model Y rebounds to win September sales race; Renault Clio, Dacia Sandero round out top 3
By
Douglas A. Bolduc
October 22, 2025 06:15 AM
The Tesla Model Y was Europe’s top-selling car in September. It’s the first monthly sales win for the midsize SUV in 2025. (TESLA)
The
Tesla Model Y was Europe’s bestselling car in September, returning to the No. 1 slot for the first time in nine months even though sales fell 8.6 percent to 25,938 compared with the same month in 2024.
It has been a year of dramatic swings for the full-electric midsize SUV, which slipped to No. 60 in sales in July from second place in June. In August, the Model Y finished 17th.
The Model Y is the fourth model to finish a month at No. 1 this year. The others are the
Dacia Sandero, which has been on top four times, the
Renault Clio, which has won three monthly titles, and the
Volkswagen T-Roc, which was first in August.
The Clio was Europe’s No. 2-seller in September. The small car’s sales were down 1.6 percent to 20,1467 last month, according to figures from Dataforce representing 98 percent of sales in the European Union, EFTA markets and the U.K.
The only markets yet to report are Finland and Portugal.
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The Clio is on the cusp of a model changeover. The sixth generation of the small hatchback
debuted last month at the IAA Munich auto show and will launch in Europe next year.
Rounding out the top three was the Sandero, with sales up 3.2 percent to 19,200.
European sales of the VW Golf were up 16 percent to 18,256 in September. (VOLKSWAGEN)
The next three slots in the September sales ranking were taken by Volkswagen, with the T-Roc, Golf and Tiguan on track to finish the month in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, based on Dataforce’s preliminary figures.
T-Roc sales rose nearly 50 percent last month while the Golf’s volume was up 16 percent. Demand for the Tiguan, however, decreased 14 percent.
Having three models in the top 10 helped VW brand increase overall sales last month 9.7 percent to 124,875 in September. That’s a volume increase of 11,055 units compared with September 2024.
Which other cars were big sales winners in September?
Sales of the Nissan Qashqai were up 36 percent to 15,137, lifting the compact SUV into the top 15 after it finished in 22nd place in September 2024.
Sales of the Volvo XC60 were up 26 percent to 8,194 in September, putting it in 48th place after it fell out of the top 50 during the same month last year.
The BYD Seal U leaped to 22nd place in September from No. 187 during the same month last year after a sales gain of more than 830 percent to nearly to 11,491.
Other winners in the top 50 were the BMW 1 Series (+154 percent), MG HS (+138 percent) and Audi A3 (+33 percent).
The Ford Kuga was one of Europe’s biggest losers in the top 50, with a decline of 20 percent to 8,411. The VW Polo fell 16 percent to 12,790 and the Mini Cooper slid 14 percent to 8,891.
Which cars were Europe’s top-sellers after 9 months?
The Sandero maintained its large overall lead after nine months. Dacia has sold 185,947 Sanderos through September, a decline of 8.3 percent over last year.
The Clio remains at No. 2, with a volume of 170,256.
Rounding out the top three was the T-Roc, which stayed ahead of the Tiguan because of a 2.5 percent increase to 160,730 after nine months.