Citroën C3 was the most popular passenger car in Belgium in 2021

In Flanders, last year’s most popular passenger car was the Volvo XC40, followed by the BMW X2 and BMW 3 Series. In Wallonia, Dacia Sandero topped the podium, followed by Dacia Duster and Citroën C3.

Professional customers dominated the new car market last year, together registering nearly 6 out of 10 new cars (59.7 percent compared to 56.3 percent in 2020). The market share of individuals decreased from 43.6% in 2020 to 40.3% in 2021.

Among the self-employed and companies, last year’s most popular car model was the Volvo XC40, followed by the BMW X1 and BMW 3 Series. The best-selling model among individuals was Dacia Sandero, followed by Citroën C3 and Hyundai Tucson.

Less than one in four is a diesel car

The average CO2 emissions of new passenger cars registered in Belgium were not as low as they were in 2021. While the average CO2 emissions according to the old NEDC test were still 107.9 grams per kilometer in 2020, this is down in 2021 to 97.1 g/km. Measured with the new WLTP test, average carbon dioxide emissions in one year fell from 130.7 g/km to 116.9 g/km in 2021. The progress is attributed to the growing popularity of electric and electric vehicles, according to Febiac. Hybrid engines, especially in the corporate sector.

With a market share of 52 percent in 2021 (+0.2 percent), the gasoline engine remains the first choice of Belgian motorists. After a slight increase in 2020 (+1.1 percent compared to 2019), the diesel engine saw its market share decline again, by 9.2 percentage points compared to 2020, to 23.7 percent. With a volume increase of 63.8 percent in one year, electrified vehicles (hybrid and electric cars combined) have a market share of 23.5 percent, a level similar to diesel cars.

electric cars

While 22,669 fully electric cars (5.3 percent market share) were registered in Belgium in 2021 – a new record – nearly 9 in 10 (87.7 percent) of all-electric cars were registered in the name of companies or self-employed persons. and 12.2 percent in the name of individuals.

The same goes for plug-in hybrid cars: 47,815 new registrations, of which more than 9 in 10 (90.3 percent) were registered by businesses or the self-employed. The market is more balanced for self-charging hybrid cars, with 19,516 new registrations registered, of which 52.7 percent were registered by individuals and 47.3 percent by companies and the self-employed.