9:54 am, January 5, 2024
Ford has reclaimed its place at the top of Britain’s best-selling cars list after a gap of two years.
The Blue Oval has dominated the rankings over the years, with the Fiesta ever-present at the top of the list between 2009 and 2020.
However, in 2021 the model finally lost its crown to the Vauxhall Corsa, before the Nissan Qashqai came out on top for the first time last year.
Now, with the Fiesta no longer in production, the brand has shot to the top once again, with the Puma claiming the gold medal position.
According to fresh data, published this morning (Jan 5) by the SMMT, the Puma sold 49,591 units in 2023 to surge ahead of the Qashqai in second.
The British-built Nissan sold 43,321 units last year, which is actually more than the 42,704 it sold in 2022, when it took top spot.
Completing the top three was the Corsa, which was the best-selling supermini of the year, with 40,816 units.
Elsewhere, the top 10 includes the likes of the Kia Sportage, of which 36,135 were sold, and the Tesla Model Y, which was the best-selling EV with 35,899 units.
In the year as a whole, 1,903,504 new cars were registered throughout 2023 – the best result since the pandemic.
When it came to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), sales overall rose by almost 50,000 units to reach 314,687 new registrations. However, despite this, market share slipped slightly to 16.5 per cent.
In terms of the best sellers, Tesla led the way last year with the Model Y comfortably ahead of the MG4, which sold 21,715 units.
The list also includes the likes of the Audi Q4 e-tron (16,757 units); the Tesla Model 3 (13,536 units) and the Polestar 2 (12,542 units).
The only other BEVs to break 10,000 registrations were the Volkswagen ID.3 (10,295 units) and the Kia e-Niro (10,084 units).
Best-selling BEV models of 2023
- Tesla Model Y – 35,899
- MG4 – 21,715
- Audi Q4 e-tron – 16,757
- Tesla Model 3 – 13,536
- Polestar 2 – 12,542
- Volkswagen ID.3 – 10,295
- Kia e-Niro – 10,084
- BMW i4 – 8,940
- Volkswagen ID.4 – 8,495
- Skoda Enyaq iV – 8,136
Reacting to the results, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘With vehicle supply challenges fading, the new car market is building back with the best year since the pandemic.
‘Energised by fleet investment, particularly in the latest EVs, the challenge for 2024 is to deliver a green recovery.
‘The government has challenged the UK automotive sector with the world’s boldest transition timeline and is investing to ensure we are a major maker of electric vehicles.
‘It must now help all drivers buy into this future, with consumer incentives that will make the UK the leading European market for ZEVs.’
