New car registrations in August fell 37% compared with the same month in 2025, to 9,552 units, as potential buyers waited for the government-backed incentive scheme, according to industry association ACAROM. In the first eight months of 2026, the total volume reached 86,142 units, down 10% compared with the same period last year. 

Notably, the sale of new cars slowed at a softer pace compared to the sale of second-hand cars (-13.4% y/y for the period) – which, however, remains more than twice as large as the new car segment.

By fuel category, full electric vehicles accounted for 7,018 registrations in the first eight months of the year (+50%), hybrid vehicles for 49,282 (+2.1%), LPG vehicles for 9,154 (-24.9%), gasoline vehicles for 15,419 (-31.3%), and diesel vehicles for 5,269 (-39.7%), according to the source, as cited by Bursa.ro.

As for second-hand cars registered for the first time in Romania, their volume reached 25,923 units in August 2026, down 14.5% compared with August 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, registrations reached 199,570 units, down 13.4% compared with the same period in 2025.

The ranking of new car brands for January-August 2026 was led by Dacia, with 17,114 units, followed by Toyota with 9,251, Škoda with 7,121, Volkswagen with 6,579, Renault with 3,933, Mercedes with 3,472, BYD with 3,465, Ford with 3,457, Hyundai with 3,396 and BMW with 3,106 units, according to the data.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Lcva/Dreamstime.com)