Top 5 best selling cars in the uK
With 2.3 million new vehicles sold in the UK last year – covering every variation, and from pure electrics, to diesel and petrol – the Brits spoilt for choice when it came to picking a set of daily wheels.
New Zealand’s top selling vehicle last year was the Ford Ranger ute with 9485 sold over 2019. And there are two Fords in this list, albeit slightly smaller than the Ranger.
Here is the top five according to Driving.co.uk
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was the only premium vehicle in the top 5. Photo: Mercedes-Benz UK
The new Mercedes A-class is really hitting the spot with British buyers: the premium hatch accounts for nearly a third of Mercedes’ sales in the UK, and it has a sizable lead over rivals including the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, neither of which appears in the top 10. With a lush interior, segment-leading tech spec, upmarket image and affordable finance deals, it’s not hard to see why so many motorists are won over.
Number of registrations 53,724
4 Vauxhall Corsa
The Corsa sold well as a new model has just been launched. Photo: Vauxhall
A new Vauxhall Corsa will be available soon, which could explain why buyers stayed away in December, resulting in an uncharacteristic no-show in top 10 sales charts. But the Fiesta rival remains one of the UK’s favourite new cars. It will be interesting to see how the new model, which is mechanically the same as the new Peugeot 208 and will be available to buy in pure-electric form for the first time, fares in 2020 and beyond.
Number of registrations 54,239
3 Ford Focus
The new Ford Focus won over British buyers and had a strong year. Photo: Ford UK
Despite a strong start to the year (it ended January runner-up behind the Fiesta), the newish Focus’s popularity waned as 2019 progressed – in December, the Golf rival finished a modest sixth in the monthly charts, behind the upmarket BMW 3 Series. Despite this, the Ford clung on to a top-three finish for new car registrations in 2019.
While retaining its everyman appeal the new Focus has a much more upmarket cabin than the one found in previous generations, while continuing to excel in the areas of handling and driving pleasure. And with good standard equipment levels, it’s no surprise the Focus is still a top 10 contender.
Number of registrations 56,619
2 Volkswagen Golf
A favour with British buyers for many years, the Golf 7 had a good 2019. Photo: VW UK
Consistent popularity has made the Volkswagen Golf one of the UK’s best-selling family hatchbacks, and it was the bestseller overall in December (4585 registrations), no doubt as dealers heavily discount the current stock before the all-new Golf arrives in the coming months.
For most of the year it was locked in a close battle with the Ford Focus for best-of-the-rest honours behind the all-conquering Fiesta but came out on top after such a strong finish to 2019.
The Golf is a timeless choice with a high quality interior as well as excellent ride and handling, so it thoroughly deserves its success. The new model is another step up in all areas, so Ford should be worried.
Number of registrations 58,994
1 Ford Fiesta
The small Ford hatchback had a slam dunk 2019. Photo: Ford UK
Ford’s supermini ended 2019 comfortably as the UK’s best-selling new car, just as it was the year before. The Fiesta sold nearly 20,000 more than the second most popular car and accounted for a third of all Ford’s registrations alone.
Despite getting bigger with each new version, the Fiesta remains a delight to drive, with improvements in interior space and build quality over the old car and a great range of engine options further helping to make it a tempting buy.
Number of registrations 77,833