In 2021, large SUV sales are up 6% as the segment continues to gain share in Europe, outperforming the overall market down 2%. They now make up 2.9% of the total European car market, from 2.7% last year. The share of luxury brands in this class slightly drops to 82.2%, from 85.9% in 2020.
The top-5 positions are all luxury brands with the BMW X5 in a commanding lead with sales up 5% while its nearest rival Mercedes-Benz GLE is down 7%. The Volvo XC90 jumps onto the podium thanks to sales up 19%, while the Audi e-Tron is the worst performing nameplate in the top-30 with a loss of 23% on last year. The Range Rover Sport is up to 5th place with almost stable sales, passing the Porsche Cayenne, down 11%.
Best selling mainstream model is the Kia Sorento with sales more than doubling thanks to the new generation. Its sibling Hyundai Santa Fe is up 39% in 14th place. The Land Rover Defender is up 71% into 8th place with a new annual sales record for the nameplate, just ahead of the Audi Q7, down 22%. The latter’s siblings Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q8 drop by single digitsand stay ahead of the BMW X6. The Audi e-Tron Sportback is up 58% to move ahead of the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.
The Range Rover, due for a redesign in 2022, is down just 6% in 2021, while the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is up 12%. The Toyota Highlander hybrid lands at 18th place in its first full year of sales in Europe, just ahead of its family member Lexus RX. The Ford Explorer PHEV almost doubles on its introduction year to outsell the Toyota Land Cruiser. The all-electric BMW iX lands at #24, well ahead of the BYD Tang at #30, the Tesla Model X at #34, the Nio ES8 at #38 and the Hongqi E-HS9 at #41.
The three Chinese models are for now only sold in Norway before expanding to the rest of Europe in 2022. Among uber-luxury SUVs, the Lamborghini Urus is king at #27, ahead of the Bentley Bentayga at #29, the Aston Martin DBX at #32 and the Rolls Royce Cullinan at #37.
| 2021 Rank | Model | 2021 Sales | 2020 Sales | Change | 2021 Marketshare | 2020 Marketshare |
| 1 | BMW X5 | 43103 | 40961 | 5% | 12.70% | 12.80% |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz GLE | 36852 | 39657 | -7% | 10.80% | 12.40% |
| 3 | Volvo XC90 | 29339 | 24584 | 19% | 8.60% | 7.70% |
| 4 | Audi e-Tron | 20632 | 26777 | -23% | 6.10% | 8.30% |
| 5 | Range Rover Sport | 17385 | 17500 | -1% | 5.10% | 5.50% |
| 6 | Kia Sorento | 16436 | 6885 | 139% | 4.80% | 2.10% |
| 7 | Porsche Cayenne | 16310 | 18330 | -11% | 4.80% | 5.70% |
| 8 | Land Rover Defender | 14936 | 8729 | 71% | 4.40% | 2.70% |
| 9 | Audi Q7 | 13576 | 17413 | -22% | 4.00% | 5.40% |
| 10 | Volkswagen Touareg | 13087 | 14275 | -8% | 3.80% | 4.40% |
| 11 | Audi Q8 | 12378 | 12983 | -5% | 3.60% | 4.00% |
| 12 | BMW X6 | 10183 | 10460 | -3% | 3.00% | 3.30% |
| 13 | Audi e-Tron Sportback | 10144 | 6405 | 58% | 3.00% | 2.00% |
| 14 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 9991 | 7189 | 39% | 2.90% | 2.20% |
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe | 9825 | 4570 | 115% | 2.90% | 1.40% |
| 16 | Range Rover | 7380 | 7844 | -6% | 2.20% | 2.40% |
| 17 | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | 7116 | 6342 | 12% | 2.10% | 2.00% |
| 18 | Toyota Highlander | 7015 | 247 | 2740% | 2.10% | 0.10% |
| 19 | Lexus RX | 5347 | 5556 | -4% | 1.60% | 1.70% |
| 20 | Land Rover Discovery | 5107 | 6493 | -21% | 1.50% | 2.00% |
| 21 | BMW X7 | 4940 | 5582 | -12% | 1.50% | 1.70% |
| 22 | Ford Explorer | 4834 | 2526 | 91% | 1.40% | 0.80% |
| 23 | Toyota Land Cruiser | 4458 | 4489 | -1% | 1.30% | 1.40% |
| 24 | BMW iX | 4131 | 0 | New | 1.20% | 0.00% |
| 25 | Mercedes-Benz GLS | 4110 | 4795 | -14% | 1.20% | 1.50% |
| 26 | Maserati Levante | 2561 | 2184 | 17% | 0.80% | 0.70% |
| 27 | Lamborghini Urus | 1280 | 1087 | 18% | 0.40% | 0.30% |
| 28 | Mitsubishi Pajero Sport | 1194 | 537 | 122% | 0.40% | 0.20% |
| 29 | Bentley Bentayga | 1180 | 975 | 21% | 0.30% | 0.30% |
| 30 | BYD Tang | 1068 | 0 | New | 0.30% | 0.00% |
| 31 | SsangYong Rexton | 957 | 374 | 156% | 0.30% | 0.10% |
| 32 | Aston Martin DBX | 692 | 305 | 127% | 0.20% | 0.10% |
| 33 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 534 | 4636 | -88% | 0.20% | 1.40% |
| 34 | Tesla Model X | 496 | 6007 | -92% | 0.10% | 1.90% |
| 35 | Dodge Durango | 465 | 234 | 99% | 0.10% | 0.10% |
| 36 | Ford Edge | 348 | 3698 | -91% | 0.10% | 1.20% |
| 37 | Rolls Royce Cullinan | 269 | 303 | -11% | 0.10% | 0.10% |
| 38 | Nio ES8 | 200 | 0 | New | 0.10% | 0.00% |
| 39 | Genesis GV80 | 165 | 0 | New | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 40 | Cadillac Escalade | 93 | 19 | 389% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Hongqi E-HS9 | 25 | 0 | New | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 42 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 25 | 3 | 733% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 43 | Chevrolet Suburban | 21 | 2 | 950% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 44 | Cadillac XT6 | 10 | 0 | New | 0.00% | 0.00% |
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.
