The figures are out for Britain’s car sales in 2017 and it’s safe to say that not all areas of the industry have done as well as others.
In total, we bought 2.5 million cars which is a 5.7% drop on 2016’s figures. Whilst petrol and EV/hybrid vehicles saw an increase in sales (2.7% and a whopping 34.8% respectively), diesel cars saw a massive drop of 17.1%.
While our choice of engine changed drastically, our taste in cars didn’t. Despite the market being increasingly filled with SUVs and crossovers, only one made it into the top 10 cars sold in the UK in 2017. There was also only one saloon. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the other eight are all hatchbacks.
The full list is as follows:
10 – Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Mercedes’ smallest model, the A-Class sold 43,717 units in 2017.
9 – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The German manufacturer’s traditional saloon did slightly better than its hatchback sibling, selling with 45,912 people buying the C-Class.
8 – Mini
47,699 people bought the now not-so-mini Mini. It’s obviously still extremely popular.
7 – Volkswagen Polo
With a new model coming out this year, sales of the Volkswagen Polo did start to drop off towards the end of 2017. 47,855 over the whole year ensured it kept it’s place in the top 10, though.
6 – Vauxhall Astra
Perhaps not as popular as it once was but still one of the bestselling cars in the UK. 49,370 were sold last year.
5 – Vauxhall Corsa
Despite a massive increase in competition of the years, the Vauxhall Corsa is still the most popular supermini in the UK. 52,772 were sold in 2017, over two thousand more than its big brother.
4 – Nissan Qashqai
The only crossover to make the top ten despite three being in the list for December. The Nissan Qashqai sold 64,216 units in total.
Given the rate at which the current Ford Focus sells, you wouldn’t think it is over six years old now. With a new model coming out in 2018, you can expect to keep seeing it in this list for years to come. 69,903 were sold in 2017.
2 – Volkswagen Golf
The Golf was Vokswagen’s bestselling model last year, not just in the UK but worldwide. 74,605 were sold last year and with an increasing number of hybrid and EV models, that number is likely to rise again next year.
1 – Ford Fiesta
Yet again, the mighty Ford Fiesta tops the list and by some margin, too. 94,533 were bought in the UK last year, nearly 20,000 more than the second-placed Golf! The new Fiesta’s arrival undoubtedly made a difference and with a new ST model on its way, it’ll probably sell even more next year.
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