European sales of minicars were down 39% in the first three quarters of 2020, compared to a total market loss of 28%, which means this segment now makes up 6.7% of the total European car market, down from 7.9% last year. And their share is expected to shrink further in coming years, as manufacturers are pulling out of this segment or switching their models to EV-only. This is a result of increasing costs to comply with stricter safety and especially emissions standards, which makes minicars nearly unprofitable, especially considering that for most models from European brands this is the only market.
The Fiat Panda continues to lead the segment ahead of its sibling Fiat 500, even though the 500 was the segment best seller in the third quarter. The Italian duo actually manages to expand its share of the class from 29.5% in the first nine months of 2019 to 34.3%. An all-new and all-electric 500e is due this year, while the Panda is expected to soldier on for a little longer. At least the hybrid version should help it stay on top of the segment for a little longer. The Toyota Aygo consolidates its podium position, distancing the Renault Twingo. The Volkswagen Up! is, together with the two South-Korean models, the biggest loser in the top-10 with sales down more than 35%. The all-new Hyundai i10 outsells its platform sibling Kia Picanto in Q3, but not enough to overtake it yet in the year-to-date ranking. The Peugeot 108 distances its sibling Citroën C1, while the Suzuki Ignis outsells the Mitsubishi Space Star in Q3 and is closing in for a top-10 finish in 2020, thanks to a new hybrid version.
The Smart Fortwo is the best selling EV-only minicar for the moment, ahead of the Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii and Smart Forfour. All models outside the top-15 have been discontinued already.
| Minicar segment | 2020 Q1-Q3 | 2019 Q1-Q3 | Change | 2020 share | 2020-Q3 | |
| 1 | Fiat Panda | 99.772 | 140.630 | -29% | 17,2% | 40.110 |
| 2 | Fiat 500 | 98.418 | 139.424 | -29% | 17,0% | 41.246 |
| 3 | Toyota Aygo | 61.340 | 75.109 | -18% | 10,6% | 24.970 |
| 4 | Renault Twingo | 53.339 | 64.852 | -18% | 9,2% | 19.290 |
| 5 | Volkswagen Up! | 39.516 | 62.253 | -37% | 6,8% | 16.090 |
| 6 | Kia Picanto | 37.322 | 57.830 | -35% | 6,5% | 14.802 |
| 7 | Hyundai i10 | 36.613 | 58.280 | -37% | 6,3% | 15.334 |
| 8 | Peugeot 108 | 33.215 | 43.352 | -23% | 5,7% | 12.527 |
| 9 | Citroën C1 | 30.014 | 40.025 | -25% | 5,2% | 10.755 |
| 10 | Mitsubishi Space Star / Mirage | 29.410 | 29.074 | 1% | 5,1% | 10.352 |
| 11 | Suzuki Ignis | 26.691 | 29.667 | -10% | 4,6% | 12.137 |
| 12 | Smart Fortwo | 10.108 | 52.072 | -81% | 1,7% | 5.494 |
| 13 | Skoda Citigo | 9.516 | 28.688 | -67% | 1,6% | 4.459 |
| 14 | Seat Mii | 4.824 | 11.433 | -58% | 0,8% | 2.131 |
| 15 | Smart Forfour | 4.255 | 26.718 | -84% | 0,7% | 2.445 |
| 16 | Suzuki Celerio | 1.928 | 11.432 | -83% | 0,3% | 421 |
| 17 | Citroën C-Zero | 1.794 | 834 | 115% | 0,3% | 85 |
| 18 | Peugeot iOn | 314 | 745 | -58% | 0,1% | 122 |
| 19 | Citroën E-Mehari | 68 | 142 | -52% | 0,0% | 2 |
| 20 | Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 47 | 136 | -65% | 0,0% | 22 |
| 21 | Opel/Vauxhall Adam | 5 | 31.109 | -100% | 0% | 2 |
| 22 | Mitsubishi Attrage | 1 | 68 | -99% | 0% | 0 |
| 23 | Opel Karl / Vauxhall Viva | 0 | 47.049 | -100% | 0% | 0 |
| Segment total | 578.510 | 950.922 | -39% |
Car sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.