Revealed: UK’s Top 10 best-selling cars

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

Ford Puma

The official data for car sales has been released and it’s clear that 2023 was a year of recovery after the pandemic and the computer chip shortage.

In all, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show that more than 1.9 million new cars were registered in the UK in 2023 – the best year since 2019, but still 17.7% down on the 2.3 million sold that year.

And despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, 2023 was still a record year for electric vehicle sales, with more than 300,000 new EVs registered – an increase of almost 50,000 compared with 2022.

So, what were the most popular new cars of 2023? Here’s the Top 10 best-sellers…

1. Ford Puma: 49,591

2. Nissan Qashqai: 43,321

3. Vauxhall Corsa: 40,816

4. Kia Sportage: 36,135

5. Tesla Model Y: 35,899

6. Hyundai Tucson – 34,469

7. Mini Hatch: 33,385

8. Nissan Juke – 31,745

9. Audi A3: 30,159

10. Vauxhall Mokka: 29,984

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Top 10 most scrapped cars in the UK

Gareth Herincx

12 hours ago
Auto News

Ford-Focus-Mk-2

The Ford Focus was the most scrapped car model in 2022, according to new data from the Scrap Car Comparison service.

The Vauxhall Corsa was revealed as the second most scrapped model, with its larger sibling – the Astra – following in third.

It’s no surprise that the Focus topped the chart for the sixth year running. Go back 14 years (the average age of scrapped vehicles) and it was a time when the family hatchback was flying out of new car showrooms.

New additions to the 2022 list of most scrapped cars include the executive BMW 3 Series (more than the 1 Series, 5 Series and X5s combined), the Ford Transit van and MINI hatch.

Top 10 most scrapped car models in 2022

  1. Ford Focus
  2. Vauxhall Corsa
  3. Vauxhall Astra
  4. Ford Fiesta
  5. Volkswagen Golf
  6. BMW 3 Series
  7. Ford Transit
  8. Mini Hatch (Cooper/One)
  9. Vauxhall Zafira
  10. Renault Clio

Ford was also the most scrapped car manufacturer of 2022, followed by Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

New entry car manufacturers to the Top 10 included German brands BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

Top 10 most scrapped car makes in 2022

  1. Ford
  2. Vauxhall
  3. Volkswagen
  4. Peugeot
  5. Renault
  6. BMW
  7. Citroen
  8. Audi
  9. Toyota
  10. Mercedes

“This is the sixth year running where we’ve seen the Ford Focus come out on top as the most scrapped car, and we expect to see it featuring highly in our most scrapped lists for many years to come,” said said Dan Gick, Managing Director of Scrap Car Comparison.

“Popularity will always have a bearing on which cars are scrapped, and 2022’s results help to spotlight the enduring popularity of the Focus model, even if many do eventually meet the scrap heap.”

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Britain’s bestselling cars of 2021

Home / Auto News / Britain’s bestselling cars of 2021

Gareth Herincx

2 days ago
Auto News

The final figures are in and the Vauxhall Corsa was the the UK’s most popular car in 2021, deposing the Ford Fiesta after 12 consecutive years at the top of the charts.

Not only is the Corsa available with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, but there’s also an affordable pure electric version (badged Corsa-e) with a range of up to 209 miles.

Latest data from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) showed that 305,000 plug-in vehicles (electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids) were sold last year, accounting for 18.6% of overall market share.

Electric vehicles accounted for 11.6% of the market, or 190,727 cars, meaning that more EVs were registered last year than over the previous five years combined, with the Tesla Model 3 leading the charge.

The overall UK car market only improved fractionally, thanks to the global semiconductor shortage and COVID. In 2020, 1.63 million cars were sold, while in 2021 it was 1.65 million.

  1. Vauxhall Corsa
    2021 registrations: 40,914
    2020 ranking: 2nd (up 1 place)
  2. Tesla Model 3
    2021 registrations: 34,783
    2020 ranking: 14th (up 12 places)
  3. MINI Hatch
    2021 registrations: 31,792
    2020 ranking: 7th (up 4 places)
  4. Mercedes-Benz A-Class
    2021 registrations: 30,710
    2020 ranking: 5th (up 1 place)
  5. Volkswagen Polo
    2021 registrations: 30,634
    2020 ranking: 8th (up 3 places)
  6. Volkswagen Golf
    2021 registrations: 30,240
    2020 ranking: 3rd (down 3 places)
  7. Nissan Qashqai
    2021 registrations: 29,992
    2020 ranking: 6th (down 1 place)
  8. Ford Puma
    2021 registrations: 28,697
    2020 ranking: 9th (up 1 place)
  9. Kia Sportage
    2021 registrations: 27,611
    2020 ranking: 16th (up 7 places)
  10. Toyota Yaris
    2021 registrations: 27,415
    2020 ranking: 15th (up 5 places)

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Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who’s worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

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Britain’s most popular new cars revealed

The Ford Fiesta has cemented its reputation as the UK’s favourite car, taking the No 1 spot for the 10th consecutive year. However, final year figures for 2018 released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that total registrations were down 6.8% to 2.37 million cars, reflecting 12 months of turbulence. Sales of …

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