Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen were the strongest car marques in the UK halfway through 2013. The Ford Fiesta remains Britain’s favorite car model.
The British car market continued to expand throughout the first six months of 2013 to 1.16 million new passenger vehicle registrations – an increase of over ten percent compared to the first half of 2012. Ford and Vauxhall continued to be the best-selling car manufactures in the UK followed by the German brands Volkswagen, Audi and BMW. The Ford Fiesta and Focus were again Britain’s favorite car models.
The British Car Market in 2013 (First Half)
The British car market continued to expand throughout the first half of 2013 in stark contrast to other major markets in Europe. UK new passenger vehicle registrations overtook French car registrations at the beginning of 2012 to become the second largest in Europe after Germany. Both the German and French car markets contracted during the first half of 2013.
The British car market grew for the sixteenth successive month in June 2013 marking six successive quarters of growth. During the first half of 2013, 1,163,623 new passenger vehicle registrations saw the British car market expanded by 10.1% from a year ago. Car sales during the second quarter of 2013 grew by an even stronger 13% with private car sales particularly strong.
Best-Selling Car Brands in Britain in 2013 (First Half)
The top-selling car marques in the UK during the first six months of 2013 according to new passenger vehicle registration figures released by the SMMT were:
| Car_Manufacturers | Sales HY2013 | % Market share | Sales HY2012 | % Change | |
| Total Sales | 1,163,623 | 100.00 | 1,057,680 | 10.02 | |
| 1 | Ford | 163,396 | 14.04 | 150,378 | 8.66 |
| 2 | Vauxhall | 132,640 | 11.40 | 115,932 | 14.41 |
| 3 | Volkswagen | 101,317 | 8.71 | 95,805 | 5.75 |
| 4 | Audi | 73,767 | 6.34 | 66,005 | 11.76 |
| 5 | BMW | 65,214 | 5.60 | 64,514 | 1.09 |
| 6 | Nissan | 61,661 | 5.30 | 53,977 | 14.24 |
| 7 | Peugeot | 56,253 | 4.83 | 52,482 | 7.19 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz | 54,637 | 4.70 | 47,790 | 14.33 |
| 9 | Toyota | 47,358 | 4.07 | 45,299 | 4.55 |
| 10 | Citroen | 42,784 | 3.68 | 37,330 | 14.61 |
| 11 | Hyundai | 39,135 | 3.36 | 35,168 | 11.28 |
| 12 | Kia | 37,178 | 3.20 | 33,478 | 11.05 |
| 13 | Skoda | 32,384 | 2.78 | 28,076 | 15.34 |
| 14 | Honda | 30,226 | 2.60 | 27,511 | 9.87 |
| 15 | Land Rover | 30,120 | 2.59 | 26,075 | 15.51 |
| 16 | Fiat | 29,423 | 2.53 | 25,485 | 15.45 |
| 17 | MINI | 25,320 | 2.18 | 24,614 | 2.87 |
| 18 | SEAT | 22,752 | 1.96 | 19,186 | 18.59 |
| 19 | Renault | 20,035 | 1.72 | 19,575 | 2.35 |
| 20 | Suzuki | 17,120 | 1.47 | 12,768 | 34.09 |
Top-Selling Car Manufacturers in Britain in 2013 (First Half)
Rather uniquely, the top 20 best-selling car brands in the UK during the first six months of 2013 all recorded positive growth, although several underperformed the broader market. The largest manufacturer to have recorded a decline in sales was Volvo (-3%), which dropped out of the top 20 as a result.
Ford and Vauxhall (Opel) remained the strongest car brands in the UK in stark contrast to other major European markets where both companies have been struggling for years. Both Ford and Opel were down around 12% in Germany and down around a quarter in France during the first half of 2013.
Ford slightly underperformed the market while Vauxhall gained almost half a percentage market share. Third placed VW and fifth placed BMW both lost market share despite stronger sales while fourth placed Audi saw double-digit growth.
The only changes in relative positions were at the lower end of the top-20 rankings: Suzuki sales expanded by a third to replace Volvo while strong growth by Seat saw it swapping ranks with Renault. Renault’s fortunes in Britain continue to shrink while Citroen had a very good six months, in strong contrast to very weak sales in France.
Top Ten Best-Selling Car Models in Britain in 2013 (Half Year)
The top ten most popular car models in the UK during the first six months of 2013 according to car sales statistics released by the SMMT were:
| Top_Selling_Car_Model | ||
| 1 | Ford Fiesta | 63,040 |
| 2 | Ford Focus | 47,675 |
| 3 | Vauxhall Corsa | 46,147 |
| 4 | Vauxhall Astra | 33,731 |
| 5 | Volkswagen Golf | 32,131 |
| 6 | Nissan Qashqai | 27,112 |
| 7 | Volkswagen Polo | 23,287 |
| 8 | BMW 3 Series | 21,588 |
| 9 | Peugeot 208 | 20,815 |
| 10 | BMW 1 Series | 20,007 |
The Ford Fiesta remained Britain’s favorite car – a position it has held since 2009. Compared to the first half of 2012, the Ford Focus regained second place from the Vauxhall Corsa while the VW Golf and Vauxhall Astra also swapped positions.
The Nissan Qashqai maintained its sixth position as the most popular SUV and Japanese car in Britain. The VW Polo and BMW swapped places from a year ago.
The Peugeot 208 and BMW 1 Series are both new entrants at the expense of the Vauxhall Insignia and Mercedes C Class. (B130705)
