Market Analysis of New Vehicles in Serbia in the First Quarter of 2025
The market for new passenger cars in Serbia remains stable, unlike the market for new light commercial vehicles (LCVs), which is experiencing a significant decline, according to data on newly registered vehicles in the first quarter of this year, as provided by the Serbian Association of Vehicle and Parts Importers.
The total number of all vehicle types registered in Serbia from January to March—including passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, mopeds, motorcycles, trucks, and heavy quadricycles—reached 9,107 units. This is 99 units fewer than in the same period of 2024, when 9,206 vehicles were registered. The decline of 1.07% is not significant, especially given the known cause: a slowdown in overall economic growth.
This is further confirmed by the fact that the total sales decrease was mainly driven by a steep drop in the sales of light commercial and cargo vehicles. A noticeably lower number of units were sold in these categories during the first three months of this year. In January, 284 LCVs were sold compared to 476 in January 2024. In February, 268 were sold versus 390 in the same month last year. March 2024 was strong for LCV sales, with 662 vehicles delivered, while this March saw only 375 units sold. In total, 927 LCVs were sold in Q1 2025, compared to 1,528 in the same period in 2024—a decrease of 601 units or a significant drop of 39.33%.
Passenger vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025 saw a slight increase compared to Q1 2024. However, since this year’s Belgrade Motor Show was held in the last week of March, the full impact on sales will become evident in the coming period.
In January 2025, 1,492 passenger cars were sold (compared to 1,519 in January 2024). In February, 1,888 units were sold (vs. 1,810), and in March, 2,673 (vs. 2,636 in March 2024). A total of 6,053 passenger vehicles were sold in the first three months of 2025—88 more than in Q1 2024, when 5,965 units were delivered, representing a growth of 1.48%.
Looking at the combined sales of passenger and light commercial vehicles, a total of 6,980 units were sold in Q1 2025, compared to 7,493 in the same period in 2024—513 fewer units, marking a 6.85% decrease.
By brand, Škoda sold the most passenger cars in the first three months of 2025, with 1,461 units delivered. Toyota ranked second with 609, and Hyundai third with 389. They were followed by Renault with 375 and BMW with 346 registered vehicles.
For comparison, in the same period last year, Škoda delivered 1,621 vehicles. Toyota was also in second place with 568 units, and Volkswagen held third with 362 units (now seventh with 264 sold vehicles). Hyundai was fourth with 359, ahead of Dacia with 349 cars sold.
In the LCV category, Citroën remained the top-selling brand for the first three months of both 2024 and 2025. The French manufacturer delivered 183 units this year, down from 351 last year. Fiat retained second place with 150 vehicles sold this year (270 in Q1 2024). Volkswagen and Opel also kept their positions in third (127 this year vs. 187 last) and fourth (87 vs. 143), respectively. Ford, with 76 vehicles sold, moved up to fifth place, replacing Toyota, which dropped from 95 units last year to 55 this year.
Heavy quadricycles saw a significant rise in demand in the Serbian market. In Q1 2025, 473 units were sold, 144 more than the 329 sold in the same period of 2024—an impressive increase of 43.75%.
Mopeds also experienced increased popularity. In Q1 2024, 222 mopeds were purchased, while this year that number nearly doubled to 419—an increase of 197 units or 88.7%.
Motorcycle sales continued to grow as well. In Q1 2024, 784 motorcycles were sold. This year, 927 units were delivered in the same period, 143 more or a growth of 18.2%.
In the first three months of 2025, three Ferraris, two Maseratis, and one Bentley were sold in Serbia.
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Cube Team
Photo: Freepik
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