Used car market slows as buyers tighten belts

Home / Auto News / Used car market slows as buyers tighten belts

Gareth Herincx

15 hours ago
Auto News

Sales of used cars dropped in the second quarter of 2022, with more than 407,000 fewer vehicles changing hands than in the same period last year.

A total of 1,759,684 used car sales took place between April and June – an 18.8% fall – according to new figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Petrol and diesel cars remained dominant during the quarter and accounted for 95.6% of sales, while sales of electric vehicles (EVs) rose by 57% to take 1% of the used market. Plug-in hybrids grew by 1% and hybrids fell by 4%.

Ford Fiesta ST

The Ford Fiesta was the most popular second-hand car in Q2, with transactions totalling 71,429, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa (57,306) and Volkswagen Golf (54,268).

Black was the most popular colour for a used car, followed by blue and grey. Pink cars proved the least popular overall.

Top 10 used cars (April-June 2022)

  1. Ford Fiesta – 71,429
  2. Vauxhall Corsa – 57,306
  3. Volkswagen Golf – 54,268
  4. Ford Focus – 54,144
  5. MINI – 42,268
  6. Vauxhall Astra – 41,277
  7. BMW 3 Series – 40,365
  8. Volkswagen Polo – 33,179
  9. Audi A3 – 29,888
  10. BMW 1 Series – 28,894

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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 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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Revealed: UK’s Top 10 used cars

Gareth Herincx

4 days ago
Auto News

Used car lot

Sales of second-hand cars are rocketing in the UK, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The amount of used cars changing hands more than doubled in the last few months. Year on year, the market grew 108.6% in the second quarter – that’s a near-record 2,167,504 second-hand vehicles.

The boom is being driven by various factors including pent-up demand after successive lockdowns, a global chip shortage that has dented production of new vehicles and people remaining wary of public transport as they return to work.

UK’s Top 10 used cars

  1. Ford Fiesta – 94,206
  2. Vauxhall Corsa – 73,366
  3. Ford Focus – 72,105
  4. Volkswagen Golf – 69,582
  5. Vauxhall Astra – 56,189
  6. BMW 3 Series – 48,849
  7. MINI – 48,140
  8. Volkswagen Polo – 40,372
  9. Nissan Qashqai – 35,897
  10. Audi A3 – 34,888

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