The music video for this song was released onto YouTube on 24 July 2015 and runs for a total length of three minutes and forty-two seconds.[3] Yates is seen in the video along with a rogue police officer, Officer Finkleman (played by comedian Nathan Barnatt), who gyrates and grooves to the tune of the song while driving. Schulz also appears on a billboard for a concert. In the end, references are made to the music video of Baby Bash's "Suga Suga" when the police officer dresses in the clothes that match those of Baby Bash in that video: a green T-shirt over a white T-shirt, baggy jeans, a chain and a white beanie. At the end of the video, his car meets an accident and tumbles upside down, albeit still leaving the officer dancing as additional police cars arrive at the scene.
The song has become Schulz's most successful song from the album. "Sugar" was a hit in many European countries, peaking atop the singles chart of seven countries including Austria, Germany and Switzerland, where it became his third chart-topper single in all these countries following 2014's singles "Waves" and "Prayer in C". It also attained to peak at number one in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. In the United Kingdom, "Sugar" outperformed the album's lead single "Headlights" charting in the top 40 at number 21 and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
In the United States, the song also became a hit, charting on the BillboardHot 100 chart at number 44, where it became his third highest-charting single after "Waves" at number 14, and "Prayer in C" at number 23, in 2014. "Sugar" is the only song from the album to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song was certified gold in Austria, double platinum in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland, and five-times platinum in Italy.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 20161 into search.