Best-selling cars 2024: the UK’s top 10 most popular models
These are the country’s most popular cars of the year so far, but which is in pole position?
After a slight dip in August, the UK’s new car market saw a one per cent increase year-on-year in September, with a total of 275,329 new registrations. Take one look at our list of the best-selling cars, though, and you’ll see that it’s mostly the same models that are continuing to fly out of the showrooms.
While many buyers would have been tempted by the arrival of the new ‘74’ number plate, a number of significant EV discounts are also being credited for boosting demand. Electric cars hit a new monthly record with 56,387 examples hitting the road in September, while demand for plug-in hybrids grew faster than any other fuel type. Petrol and diesel cars, meanwhile, took a combined 56.4 per cent market share.
It would seem that the recently facelifted Ford Puma is continuing the success story of the model it replaced, with another 6,681 models hitting the road in September, leaving it as the year’s best seller to date. The only car to outshine it in September, was the mid-sized Kia Sportage, with 7,482 examples registered.
SUVs aren’t the only big-sellers, though, as the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Golf were also two of September’s top 10 models.
The UK’s best-selling cars 2024
- Ford Puma
- Kia Sportage
- Nissan Qashqai
- Nissan Juke
- Volkswagen Golf
- Hyundai Tucson
- Audi A3
- Volkswagen Polo
- Tesla Model Y
- MG HS
1. Ford Puma - 38,944
The Ford Puma was the nation’s best-seller in 2023, and things are also looking very bright for it in 2024. Although anything can happen in the motoring world, the Fiesta-based SUV has now stood firmly in first place for several months and a recent facelift seems to be bolstering the Puma’s appeal. The fully-electric Ford Puma Gen-e is due to arrive later this year, too, and this will probably bring yet another boost to this small SUV’s impressive sales performance.
2. Kia Sportage - 37,582
The fifth-generation Kia Sportage has been a regular sight on this list since it launched in 2021, and it seems that it’s only increasing in popularity. With its distinctive styling, technology that’s bang up-to-date and overall quality feel, the latest Sportage is worlds apart from its predecessors. In fact, we think the Kia Sportage is one of the best mid-size SUVs to buy right now.
3. Nissan Qashqai - 32,923
The Nissan Qashqai was 2022’s best-seller, and it’s clear that it’s still a firm favourite today. With the freshly-facelifted model now hitting the showrooms, the second half of 2024 could be make or break for this staple mid-size SUV. An all-electric variant is also due to arrive very soon and this could bring-in even more buyers if the price is right.
4. Nissan Juke - 28,727
Much like the larger Nissan Qashqai, the Nissan Juke enjoys a pretty constant stream of sales. This funky little SUV is undoubtedly one of the more distinctive models in this area of the market. A mid-life facelift has given the Juke a new lease of life, but it’s still struggling to top the Ford Puma when it comes down to outright appeal.
5. Volkswagen Golf - 27,456
The latest Volkswagen Golf has been met with its fair share of criticism, with VW customers being deterred by oversights such as an infuriating lack of physical controls and backlighting. However, the brand has set out to right many of its wrongs with the updated Mk8.5 model, and these corrections appear to be improving the Golf’s reputation at long last.
6. Hyundai Tucson - 26,096
The Hyundai Tucson is a four-time Mid-size SUV of the Year award winner at the Auto Express New Car Awards and it also appears to be striking the right chords with plenty of buyers, too. The Tucson offers styling and tech that wouldn’t be out of place on high-end models, along with plenty of practicality, and a mid-life refresh has helped to keep it up to speed with swathes of new rivals, too.
7. Audi A3 - 24,957
The Audi A3 continues to edge ahead of its BMW 1 Series rival, as the latter has been knocked off of this list for the time being. The A3 might not be as fun to drive as the 1 Series but the Audi boasts plenty of luxury and tech for a car of its size, and it’s well suited to life as a family car, too. UK buyers are clearly still fans of the big German brands, but it would seem their compact executive saloons are no longer the models of choice for the mass market.
8. Volkswagen Polo - 23,758
Within a sea of SUVs and larger hatchbacks, the Volkswagen Polo is leading the way for the supermini. VW’s smallest model is nimble enough for city streets, but it still offers a level of refinement which gives it a somewhat premium feel. There’s a decent amount of space inside, too, so it’s capable of doubling up as a compact family car. For those who desire a bit more performance zest, there’s also the option of the Polo GTI.
9. Tesla Model Y - 23,495
The Tesla Model Y has sold in huge numbers across the globe, so it’s almost inevitable that it makes an appearance on the UK’s best-seller list. This recently revamped electric SUV still offers a serious amount of technology, performance and battery range for the money, and access to Tesla’s Supercharger Network is an appealing benefit of ownership, too.
10. MG HS - 23,115
After a brief stint as the UK’s best-selling car at the start of the year, the MG HS is still doing its part to bring the iconic octagonal badge back into the mainstream. The HS has now received a new lease of life with MG giving the new second generation budget-conscious family SUV more tech and a brand new look. With a competitive starting price, time will tell if the new HS can match the popularity of the first-gen car and retain its spot on the top 10 best-sellers list.
Sales vs registrations: inside the numbers
There’s an important distinction to be made where the UK’s monthly and annual car sales numbers are concerned. Namely, that they don’t actually count the number of cars sold in the sense that many people might imagine. The numbers provided by the SMMT are for car ‘registrations’ rather than being sales figures.
When customers buy a new car it is registered before it can be driven on the road but cars are also registered by manufacturers and dealers before they have a customer to go to. This practice of processing pre-registered cars is done for various reasons but often the goal is to move stock through the supply chain, avoiding bottlenecks or to hit targets. It means that a significant proportion of the cars in the ‘sales’ figures could be pre-registered and estimates range from between 10 and 20 per cent.
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