2010 Britain: Best-Selling Car Models in the UK

The Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Astra, Focus, Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, and VW Polo were the most popular new passenger car models registered in Britain in 2010.

UK Ford Fiesta 2010 (UK)
Ford Fiesta 2010 – Britain’s Favorite Car © Ford

The Ford Fiesta remained Britain’s favorite car in 2010 for the second year in a row. Second on the list of best-selling car models in the UK in 2010 was the Vauxhall Astra, while the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa each slipped one position down the list. The Volkswagen Golf remained Britain’s favorite imported car in 2010.

New passenger vehicle registrations in the UK increased by 1.8% to 2,030,846 cars sold in 2010. Ford was again the most popular car brand in Britain in 2010 with a decreased market share of 13.81%.

List of the Ten Top-Selling Car Models in the UK in 2010

According to the SMMT, Britain’s best-selling car models in 2010 were:

• Car Brand and Model … Number of Cars Sold in the UK in 2010

  1. Ford Fiesta … 103,013
  2. Vauxhall Astra … 80,646
  3. Ford Focus … 77,804
  4. Vauxhall Corsa … 77,398
  5. Volkswagen Golf … 58,116
  6. Volkswagen Polo … 45,517
  7. Peugeot 207 … 42,185
  8. BMW 3 Series … 42,020
  9. MINI … 41,883
  10. Nissan Qashqai … 39,048

Changes in the Top-Ten List of Best-Selling Car Models in Britain in 2010

For the second year in a row, the Ford Fiesta was Britain’s favorite car although Fiesta sales were down by over 14,000 cars compared to 2009. The Vauxhall Astra (Opel Astra in most non-UK markets) saw a huge increase in popularity and moved into second place in 2010 by selling over a thousand cars more per month than during 2009.

The Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Corsa each slipped one position from 2009. The number of cars sold was also significantly down for both models.

Volkswagen Golf and Polo the Most Popular Imported Cars in Britain

Volkswagen (+8.39%) had a good 2010 in Britain and gained half a percentage market share. The Volkswagen Golf remained at fifth place the most popular imported car in Britain in 2010. The VW Polo was a new entrant on the top-ten list of best-selling cars in Britain.

The Peugeot 207 lost sales and one place on the top-ten list. The BMW 3 Series was again eighth best-selling car model in the UK while the Mini lost two positions despite an increase in the number of cars sold in 201The Nissan Qashqai was a new entrant on the top-ten list of best-selling cars in Britain in 2010 and thus the most popular SUV in the UK. The Vauxhall Insignia and Ford Mondeo dropped out of the top-ten list of best-selling cars in Britain.

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About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.