The 1980 World Rally Championship was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies. While this number was the same as the previous year, one change was made to the schedule, replacing Quebec with the Rally Codasur, marking the first WRC event to be held in South America.
A new driver's champion was crowned, with Fiat backed German driver Walter Röhrl taking the championship convincingly while simultaneously earning for Fiat its third and final manufacturer's title. Finn Hannu Mikkola and Swede Björn Waldegård again battled to a one-point difference in the standings, though this time for second place overall, and this time with Mikkola coming out on top. Fiat's position in the standings was challenged by both Datsun and Ford, but neither could overcome the Italian company's initial lead, settling instead for second and third, respectively. 1980 also saw Mercedes-Benz's best and final effort to compete for a WRC title, placing fourth overall.
For purposes of the championship, neither the Swedish or Finnish rallies were applied to the WRC for Manufacturers.__TOC__
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1980 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers | Rank | Manufacturer | Event | Total points | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MON |  POR |  KEN |  GRC |  ARG |  NZL |  ITA |  FRA |  GBR | CIV | |||||
| 1 | align=left | Fiat | 18 | 18 | – | 15 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 | – | (11) | 120 | |
| 2 | align=left |  Datsun | – | – | 18 | 17 | 14 | 18 | – | 13 | 8 | 5 | 93 | |
| 3 | align=left |  Ford | 8 | 12 | – | 18 | 11 | 8 | 16 | – | 17 | – | 90 | |
| 4 | align=left |  Mercedes | – | 13 | 16 | – | 17 | 15 | – | – | – | 18 | 79 | |
| 5 | align=left | Opel | 12 | – | 13 | 13 | – | – | 10 | 10 | 13 | – | 71 | |
| 6 | align=left | Talbot | – | 16 | – | – | – | – | 15 | – | 18 | – | 49 | |
| 7 | align=left | Toyota | – | 9 | – | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 32 | |
| 8 | align=left | Peugeot | – | – | – | 2 | 12 | – | – | – | – | 16 | 30 | |
| 9 | align=left | Porsche | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | – | – | 28 | |
| 10 | align=left | Lancia | 16 | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | |
| 11 | align=left | Vauxhall | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | 4 | – | 16 | |
| 12 | align=left | Volkswagen | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | |
| 13 | align=left | Renault | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | 12 | |
| 14 | align=left | Triumph | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | – | 9 | |
| 15 | align=left | Mitsubishi | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 7 | 9 | |
| 16 | align=left |  FSO | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1980 World Rally Championship point awards for manufacturers | ||||||||||
| Overall finish | Group finish | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2 | 17 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 3 | 16 | 15 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 4 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 5 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 6 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | – | – | – | – | |
| 7 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | – | – | – | |
| 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | – | – | |
| 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1980 World Rally Championship for Drivers | Rank | Driver | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MON |  SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | ARG |  FIN | NZL | ITA | FRA | GBR | CIV | |||||
| 1 | align=left | Walter Röhrl | 20 | – | 20 | – | 8 | 20 | – | 15 | 20 | 15 | – | – | 118 | |
| 2 | align=left | Hannu Mikkola | – | 10 | – | – | – | 15 | – | 12 | 12 | – | 15 | – | 64 | |
| 3 | align=left | Björn Waldegård | 12 | 12 | 10 | 1 | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | 20 | 63 | |
| 4 | align=left | Ari Vatanen | – | – | – | – | 20 | – | 15 | – | 15 | – | – | – | 50 | |
| 5 | align=left | Anders Kulläng | 10 | 20 | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | 48 | |
| 6 | align=left | Markku Alén | – | – | 15 | – | 12 | – | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | 47 | |
| 7 | align=left | Timo Salonen | – | 4 | – | – | 15 | – | 6 | 20 | – | – | – | – | 45 | |
| 8 | align=left | Guy Fréquelin | – | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | 12 | – | 34 | |
| 9 | align=left | Shekhar Mehta | – | – | – | 20 | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 30 | |
| 10 | align=left | Henri Toivonen | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | 20 | – | 28 | |
| 11 | align=left | Per Eklund | 8 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 27 | |
| 12 | align=left | Jean-Luc Thérier | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | – | – | 20 | |
| 13 | align=left | Vic Preston, Jr. | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 20 | |
| 14 | align=left | Jorge Recalde | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 18 | |
| 15 | align=left | Björn Johansson | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | |
| 16 | align=left | Bernard Darniche | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | |
| align=left | Stig Blomqvist | – | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | ||
| align=left | Rauno Aaltonen | – | – | – | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | ||
| 19 | align=left | Attilio Bettega | 6 | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | 15 | |
| 20 | align=left | Alain Coppier | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | 14 | |
| 21 | align=left | Carlos Reutemann | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | |
| align=left | Alain Ambrosino | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 12 | ||
| 23 | align=left | Michèle Mouton | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | 12 | |
| 24 | align=left | Ove Andersson | – | – | 6 | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | |
| 25 | align=left | Jean-Claude Lefèbvre | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 11 | |
| 26 | align=left | Mike Kirkland | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | |
| align=left |  George Fury | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | 10 | ||
| align=left | Bruno Saby | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | 10 | ||
| align=left | Russell Brookes | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | 10 | ||
| align=left |  Samir Assef | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 10 | ||
| 31 | align=left | Ingvar Carlsson | – | 1 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | |
| 32 | align=left | Andy Dawson | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | |
| 33 | align=left | Jean-Pierre Nicolas | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | |
| align=left | Lasse Lampi | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | ||
| 35 | align=left | Timo Mäkinen | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | 7 | |
| 36 | align=left | Pentti Airikkala | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| align=left | Andrew Cowan | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | ||
| align=left |  Domingo De Vitta | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | ||
| align=left | Paul Adams | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | 6 | ||
| align=left | Sandro Munari | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 6 | ||
| 41 | align=left | Jochi Kleint | 3 | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| 42 | align=left | Carlos Torres | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| align=left | Yoshio Iwashita | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Harry Källström | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Francisco Alcuaz | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Tapio Rainio | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Paddy Davidson | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Angelo Presotto | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Christian Gardavot | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | 4 | ||
| align=left | Tony Pond | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | 4 | ||
| 51 | align=left | Johnny Hellier | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| align=left | Nestor García-Veiga | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| align=left | Erkki Pitkänen | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| align=left | David Parkes | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| align=left | Antonillo Zordan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| align=left | Paul Rouby | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | ||
| 57 | align=left |  Salvador Servià | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| align=left | Bengt Nilsson | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Raymond 'Ray' Rué | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Tasos 'Siroco' Livieratos | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Federico West | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Heikki Enomaa | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Glenn McIntyre | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Giorgio Bernocchi | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Jean-Felix Farrucci | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Bror Danielsson | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||
| align=left | Jean-François Vincens | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | ||
| 68 | align=left | Maciej Stawowiak | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| align=left | Jorge Maggi | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | Peter Geitel | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | Morrie Chandler | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | Massimo Paolieri | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | Jean Bagarry | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | George Hill | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||
| align=left | Naguib Saad | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1980 World Rally Championship point awards for drivers | |||||||||
| Points awarded by finish | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1980 World Rally Championship event map | align=center colspan=4 | ||||||
| width=25% | Black = Tarmac | width=25% | Brown = Gravel | width=25% | Blue = Snow/Ice | width=25% | Red = Mixed Surface |
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