The E-segment is the 5th category of the European segments for passenger cars, synonymous with the term executive car.

E-Segment is a niche in Europe (2-3% penetration in 2010s). In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, E-segment sales accounted for 2.7%, 2.7%, 2.3% and 2.1% market share in Europe, respectively.

Characteristics Most E-segment cars are sedans/saloons, however several models are also produced in other body styles such as wagons/estates. As of 2021, E-segment cars typically have a length of about .

European vs. American classification

The terms E-segment or executive car do not have a one-to-one equivalent in the American car classification. However, if a modern E-segment sedan by a European brand is sold in the U.S., it falls into the category of both mid-size and full-size sedan, usually a mid-size luxury sedan.

The American mid-size sedan classificationAlso, the American full-size sedan classification does not have any equivalent in the European classification with the exception of full-size luxury cars which belong to the F-segment. As European segments denote both size and equipment level, American full-size cars that are not luxury cars simply do not belong to any of the European segments. Considering length only, they would always fall into the F-segment or even exceed its dimensions - with a possible exception of the Toyota Avalon and Nissan Maxima which may or may not be short enough to be considered E-segment (this is as of 2021). spans both the D-segment and the E-segment. With size brackets of European car segments increasing, the Toyota Camry fell from the E-segment into the D-segment while remaining a mid-size car.

Current models

In 2020, the highest selling E-segment cars in Europe were the Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Volvo V90/S90 and Porsche Taycan.

50,000 - 100,000 sales (Best-Selling)

10,000 - 50,000 sales

Fewer than 10,000 sales

Moved to F-segment

Sales figures in Europe

2020rank Brand Model 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 % change(2019–2020) 1 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 106,559 99,565 84,771 99,494 127,638117,906107,45370,171 -35% 2 BMW 5 Series 107,307 98,701 88,898 81,599 109,953108,65389,32659,814 -33% 3 Audi A6 / S6 / RS6 / A6 allroad quattro 82,883 84,283 95,329 93,479 78,94471,25883,01255,737 -33% 4 Volvo S90 / V90 - - - 10,834 55,19356,19240,31523,578 -42%5PorscheTaycan - - - - - -74612,332 +1553% 6 Audi Audi A7 / S7 / RS7 8,986 8,473 10,196 9,120 6,1118,9358,1855,807 -29%7TeslaModel S3,9118,84115,16911,56416,02617,3868,6355,562 -36% 8 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 15,139 10,289 12,600 7,803 5,1169,1138,4283,895 -54% 9LexusES - - - - -2173,8183,699 -3% 10Jaguar XF 20,414 20,609 16,416 16,024 12,50110,3755,9352,450 -59% 11BMW 6 Series 8,549 7,880 7,370 5,732 5,61010,7035,3622,060 -62% 12 Maserati Ghibli 339 4,238 4,644 4,124 2,9812,5341,7231,006 -42%13PolestarPolestar 1 - - - - - -065New 14Infiniti Q70 339 145 560 484 36264214 -81% 15Lexus GS 1,922 2,032 1,373 2,023 1,5081,0661631 -99% 16 Genesis G80 - 163 228 131 493090 -100% BMW 8 Series - - - - - 1,299(moved to F-Segment) Volvo V70 / XC70 40,260 46,348 49,263 30,436 51121(replaced by V90 Series)Chrysler/Lancia300C/Thema 2,236 392 28 19 1612Segment total 402,673 394,931 389,184 366,603 422,525415,757363,131246,181 -32%Source Notes:

1. The table includes not only E-segment cars, but also a car fitting the F-segment in terms of size (the 2011 Chrysler 300).

2. Our source of information initial include BMW 8 Series in E-segment, but latter moved to F-segment.

Market share in Europe 2019 - Sales of large cars in Europe were down 13% in 2019 to 362,300 units, a new record low annual volume for this class, which now accounts for 2.3% of the total European car market, down from 2.7% in 2018.

2020 - The large cars segment in Europe is down 32% in 2020, to just over 246,000 deliveries. This means the segment loses ground on the overall market again and now accounts for just 2.1% of the total European car market, down from 2.3% in 2019. With the exception of a newcomer, the entire top-8, which accounts for nearly 91% of the segment's sales, drops by 29% or more and thus falls behind the overall market. Only one single model in the class manages to keep its decline limited to single digits.

See also D-segment F-segment Euro Car Segment Car classification Executive car

Notes

References