Luxury is growing, but here is what Croats really buy: Škoda and Octavia on the throne, Audi the strongest premium

In that picture, premium brands come out as winners. The data shows that in 2025, BMW was the best-selling luxury brand in the US with 388,897 vehicles sold (up 4.7%), while Lexus was second with 370,260. At the same time, Cadillac overtook Audi and climbed to fourth place among luxury cars, which fits into the trend that buyers who remain in the market are increasingly choosing more expensive packages and SUV models.

However, Croatia is smaller and more organized, so it is more useful to look at what was actually registered in 2025, because that best shows where the money ended up. In Croatia, 69,140 new passenger cars were registered in 2025, which is about 8.4% more than in 2024, according to data from Promocija plus. This means that the market has not ‘broken’, but it can still be seen that most buyers aim for a rational choice, a car that offers a lot of equipment and space for the price, with a good service network.

That’s why brands that have dominated for years are at the top: Škoda is first with 9,458 registrations, Volkswagen is second with 8,594, and Opel is third with 6,063. Behind them come Renault and Suzuki, then Toyota, Dacia, Hyundai and Kia, that is, the brands that carry ‘mainstream’ purchases here, fleets and private customers who look at the total cost, not just the logo on the hood.

The same pattern can be seen at the model level as well. The best-selling car in 2025 was the Škoda Octavia (3,885), followed by the VW T Cross (3,316). These are cars that are big enough for a family, practical enough for work and often come with equipment packages that give buyers the feeling that their money was worth it.

The premium here still exists and is not invisible, it’s just not the ‘main trend’ like in the US. In 2025, Audi was the best-selling premium brand with 2,635 registrations, BMW had 2,380, Mercedes 1,325, and Porsche 351. This shows that the luxury class retains its customers, but the battle for volume is still being waged in the mainstream.

So, while in the USA luxury is often seen as a ‘winner’ because part of the market is falling away, Croatia in 2025 is still going for the tested. We buy what is practical and makes sense for the money, and premium remains a stable option for a small part of customers, not as a trend that pushes the entire market.