Belgium’s new-car market shrank by almost 6% in October, reflecting a wider slowdown also visible in the Netherlands. France and Germany, meanwhile, are recovering, helped by growing electric-car demand.
Behind Belgium’s disappointing figures lies another transformation: traditional brands are losing ground, Chinese competitors are advancing, and motorcycles are booming while commercial vehicles struggle.
Belgium registered 31,949 new passenger cars in October, down 5.9% from the same month last year, according to the automotive federation FEBIAC. One fewer working day partly explains the decline, but the longer-term picture remains disappointing.
Over the first ten months of 2026, registrations totaled 352,323 vehicles, 1.5% fewer than a year earlier. Belgium’s car market is effectively stagnating, despite the accelerating transition to electric mobility.
Electrification without market growth
September marked a historic milestone, with fully electric cars accounting for 50.9% of new registrations. Over the first nine months, their share reached 39.1%.
Yet Belgium’s electric transition remains heavily dependent on company cars. Battery-electric vehicles represented 60.9% of professional registrations during the first three quarters, compared with just 11.5% among private buyers.
September’s private BEV share of 20.2% offered a promising sign, but Belgium has yet to demonstrate that electrification can also stimulate overall demand for new cars.
Neighbors moving at different speeds
The Netherlands faces a similar dilemma. New-car registrations fell 3.5% in October, despite BEVs capturing 55.2% of the market. The Škoda Elroq topped the sales charts, illustrating the growing appeal of relatively affordable electric models.
France presents a striking contrast. Registrations increased 7% in October, while electric cars accounted for around 41% of sales. Private registrations grew by 18%, with BEVs accounting for 45% of purchases by individual customers.
Government support, including France’s social-leasing program, appears to be helping, although incentives alone cannot explain the entire recovery. Germany also reported stronger demand in September, with overall registrations up 9% and BEV registrations surging 95%.
The comparison suggests that electrification can accompany a recovery in car sales, but the outcome depends heavily on affordability, purchasing power and national policies.
BMW holds its ground, Dacia plunges
Belgium’s brand rankings reveal another transformation beneath the market slowdown. BMW remains the country’s bestselling marque, with 38,527 registrations through October, up 1.1%. Volkswagen retains second place but has lost 13.5% of its volume, while Mercedes-Benz is down 6.1%. Audi has fallen by 15.9%, Toyota by almost 20%, and Nissan by more than 40%.
Dacia’s difficulties are particularly striking. October registrations plunged 48.6% to just 1,176 vehicles. Since January, the budget brand has lost 27.4%, equivalent to 6,276 fewer registrations than last year.
Meanwhile, Chinese competitors continue expanding. BYD has more than doubled its Belgian registrations to 7,510 vehicles this year, overtaking Ford in October. MG has grown 83%, while Leapmotor and Jaecoo have multiplied their volumes from much smaller starting points.
Tesla is also recovering strongly, with registrations up almost 42% year-to-date, although its monthly figures remain volatile.
The figures do not establish direct customer migration between brands, but they underline the intensifying competition facing Europe’s established manufacturers.
Vans recover, but trucks struggle
Beyond passenger cars, Belgium’s commercial-vehicle market presents a mixed picture. Light commercial vehicle registrations increased 8% in October to 6,050 units, but remain 4.8% below last year’s level after ten months.
Ford leads the van market, narrowly ahead of Renault, with Mercedes-Benz third. Volkswagen is losing ground, while Mercedes-Benz is the only one of the three market leaders showing substantial year-to-date growth.
The situation is more difficult for heavier vehicles. Registrations of trucks weighing at least 16 tonnes declined 7% in October, while the market for vehicles between 3.5 and 16 tonnes plunged 43%.
Buses and coaches are also under pressure, with registrations down nearly 27% since January. However, semi-trailer registrations increased almost 22% year-to-date, suggesting that demand is evolving differently across transport sectors rather than contracting uniformly.
Two-wheelers buck the trend
Motorcycles provide a remarkably different picture. October registrations jumped 17.2% to 1,787 units, bringing cumulative growth to 10.8%. Mopeds followed a similar trend, rising 17% in October and 13.5% over the first ten months.
Whether this reflects changing mobility preferences, recreational demand or replacement cycles is not clear from the registration figures alone. But it demonstrates that Belgium’s broader vehicle market is far from uniformly depressed.
What can 2027 bring?
Belgium’s main challenge is no longer simply electrifying company fleets. It is restoring confidence among private buyers while making cleaner vehicles affordable to a wider public.
Lower-priced electric models could help, but the expanding second-hand EV market may be equally important. More electric company cars coming off lease will offer households alternatives to expensive new vehicles, potentially accelerating electrification without increasing new-car sales.
The Brussels Motor Show in January 2027 will provide an early indication of consumer appetite.
