Vauxhall Corsa was July’s best-selling car but Ford Fiesta still number one overall

The Vauxhall Corsa led the new car registrations charts in July, latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals.

The supermini accounted for 5,455 registrations in the month – which saw registrations up 11.3 per cent in total with just under 175,000 cars sold.

However, the Corsa wasn’t out in front by much as the Ford Fiesta was just 34 cars behind and still holds the number one place in year-to-date registrations with 26,519 units.

The Ford Focus was third in the July data with 4,981, fourth went to the Volkswagen Golf (3,936) and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class was fifth with 3,922 registrations.

• New car sales up by 11.3 per cent in July thanks to pent-up demand lifting the market

The rest of the top 10 was made up by the Nissan Qashqai, VW Polo, Mini, VW Tiguan and the Ford Kuga.

Meanwhile, in year-to-date, behind the top-spot Fiesta was the Focus (23,126), Corsa (23,101), Golf (21,825) and Nissan’s Qashqai SUV (17,777).

Overall, sales for diesel cars were down 25.9 per cent on July 2019, petrol was up marginally at 0.3 per cent, pure electric cars were up by 259 per cent and PHEVs rose by 320 per cent.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘July’s figures are positive, with a boost from demand pent up from earlier in the year and some attractive offers meaning there are some very good deals to be had. We must be cautious, however, as showrooms have only just fully reopened nationwide and there is still much uncertainty about the future.

‘By the end of September we should have a clearer picture of whether or not this is a long-term trend. Although this month’s figures provide hope, the market remains fragile in the face of possible future spikes and localised lockdowns as well as, sadly, probable job losses across the economy. The next few weeks will be crucial in showing whether or not we are on the road to recovery.’

Car Dealer was joined by ASE Global chairman Mike Jones as the registrations data went live – you can watch the interview at the top of this story.

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