Peugeot 208 leads the 10 best-selling cars in Portugal in January 2026

Gareth Wainwright • June 09, 2026 22:59

In a new year, there is a new name at the top of Portugal’s best-sellers. In January 2026, the Peugeot 208 stood out by “stealing” the lead from its sibling, the 2008 - a model more commonly found in first place - even though both posted strong increases compared with January 2025.

Peugeot 208 takes the lead in January 2026

According to ACAP, the 208 finished the month in front with 1051 units sold, representing a very significant rise of 216% versus January last year. Close behind came the Peugeot 2008 with 888 units, up by 110,9%.

Completing the podium - ending Peugeot’s dominance, though not Stellantis’s - was the Opel Corsa. It recorded 503 units and also improved, climbing by 26,7%.

Top 10 best-selling cars in Portugal in January 2026: notable shifts

See the list of the 10 best-selling cars in Portugal in January 2026:

Looking at the Top 10, the French supermini’s lead was not the only unexpected detail. The Renault Clio - Portugal’s best-selling car in 2025 after a surge in registrations in December - could do no better than eighth, with 323 units. Even so, that still equals an increase of 14,54% compared with January 2025.

Another regular podium contender, the Dacia Sandero, likewise fell short, ending up seventh with 335 units. It was also the only model among the 10 best-sellers to post a decline - and a sharp one - of 45,63%.

The Tesla Model Y also deserves a mention: it appears in 5th place with 371 units and delivers the biggest growth in the Top 10, +528,8% - an impressive rebound after the brand’s drop last year. It not only moved ahead of its “sibling”, the Model 3, but is also, at this start to the year, the best-selling electric car in Portugal.

Equally noteworthy is the Toyota C-HR entering the Top 10 in ninth position, with 301 units - a very substantial increase of 123%.

More surprises outside the Top 10

Widening the view to the 50 best-selling models in January, four very recent arrivals stand out - none of which were on sale in January 2025: Citroën C3 Aircross, Dacia Bigster, Opel Frontera and FIAT Grande Panda.

Among the biggest risers are two MG models: the ZS, up a very significant 548,7% (253 units), and the small MG3 (204 units), with sales rocketing by 14 754,6%. The Jeep Avenger also increased by 99,1% (227 units). The Mercedes-Benz CLA rose 293,5% (122 units), helped by the arrival of a new generation. Finally, the BYD Atto 2 posted an extraordinary increase of 3233,3%, although that equates to 100 units.

Among the steepest drops were the Nissan Juke (-46,9% and 256 units), the Renault Captur (-55,8% and 177 units) and the Dacia Spring (-40,3% and 92 units).