2012 Year End Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

The Ford Fiesta once again ended a calendar year as the best-selling car in the United Kingdom. In 2012, not only did the Fiesta post a 14% year-over-year increase in UK registrations, it overcame last year's decline to record a 6% improvement compared to 2010.

Qashqai Sales Jumped 16% After
Rising 1% In 2011 And 51% In 2010

In second spot, the Vauxhall Corsa posted the second-best year-over-year increase among the ten most popular cars in the United Kingdom. The Ford Focus fell from second spot in last year's rankings to third this year; Vauxhall's Astra moved up from fifth to fourth; and the Volkswagen Golf did the opposite. 

Nissan's 16% jump in Qashqai registrations was best of the bunch. The Qashqai, assembled in the north of England by workers in Sunderland, accounts for 43% of all Nissans sold in the UK. 

After trailing much of the year, the BMW brand took over from Audi as the best-selling premium brand in the United Kingdom by outselling Audi by 5389 units in December 2012. The 3-Series and 1-Series obviously played the largest roles in that event. The two small BMWs are responsible for six out of every ten BMW registrations in the UK.

These were the ten most frequently registered cars in the United Kingdom in the year 2012. These ten best-selling cars combined to account for 30% of the new vehicles sold in 2012 in the United Kingdom.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	2012	2011	% Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	109,265	96,112	+ 13.7%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	89,434	77,751	+ 15.0%
#3	Ford Focus	83,115	81,832	+ 1.6%
#4	Vauxhall Astra	63,023	62,575	+ 0.7%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	62,021	63,368	- 2.1%
#6	Nissan Qashqai	45,675	39,406	+ 15.9%
#7	BMW 3-Series	44,521	42,471	+ 4.8%
#8	Volkswagen Polo	41,901	45,992	- 8.9%
#9	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	37,261	n/a	n/a
#10	BMW 1-Series	34,488	n/a	n/a

Source: MTI & SMMT

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2011 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2010 Year End

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2012
UK Auto Sales Brand Rankings - 2012 Year End

Top 25 Best-Selling Cars In America - 2012 Year End

December 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

The 1-Series They Can Buy In
Cheshire Isn't The Same As The
1-Series You Can Buy In Chicago

The rankings of the ten most frequently registered cars in the United Kingdom were quite a bit different in December 2012 than in the prior month. 

The usual best seller, Ford's Fiesta, was not the best-selling car for the second consecutive month, and in fact, dropped all the way to third spot as registrations dipped 8% compared to December of last year.

This enabled not only the Ford Focus, but Vauxhall's Astra, to overtake the Fiesta in December. Ford reported a 30% increase in Focus registrations. Year-to-date, the growth achieved by the Focus, Astra, and Volkswagen Golf was well below the industry's 5% improvement. Indeed, Golf sales dipped 2%.

GoodCarBadCar.net has also posted the 2012 year end best-selling cars list for the United Kingdom. Many of these cars remain, but the most British among them does not.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	December 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Focus	5265	+ 30.1%	83,115	+ 1.6%
#2	Vauxhall Astra	5112	+ 5.3%	63,023	+ 0.7%
#3	Ford Fiesta	4977	- 8.0%	109,265	+ 13.7%
#4	Vauxhall Corsa	4510	- 14.2%	89,434	+ 15.0%
#5	BMW 1-Series	3196	n/a	34,488	n/a
#6	BMW 3-Series	3181	n/a	44,521	+ 4.8%
#7	Mini	3143	+ 16.1%	n/a	n/a
#8	Nissan Qashqai	2840	+ 10.1%	45,675	+ 15.9%
#9	Volkswagen Golf	2556	- 36.6%	62,021	- 2.1%
#10	Volkswagen Polo	2500	- 8.8%	41,901	- 8.9%

Source: Manufacturers & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
* Mini refers to all non-Countryman Minis

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2012 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - December 2011
UK Auto Sales Brand Rankings - December 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - December 2012

November 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

Clear and bright like a winter's day in Dover Denver, Colorado, is the obvious way in which the United Kingdom's new vehicle market bears no resemblance to the North American market. The Ford Fiesta is the UK's best-selling car this year, as it was last year, but in the United States, the Fiesta is the 72nd-best-selling vehicle.

Need more evidence? Consider the fact that three of the nameplates on this list of the UK's 10 best-selling cars in November aren't even available in North America. 

Ford UK also sells a three-door Fiesta but doesn't sell the ugly Fiesta sedan. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is still available as a wagon, or rather an estate, in the United Kingdom. 

All of these cars can (and regularly are) purchased with diesel powerplants. And of the seven nameplates on this list which are on sale in North America, only one is sold here with a diesel engine: the Volkswagen Golf.

Monthly & Yearly North American Ford Fiesta Sales Figures

Of course, the Golf, sales of which rose 5% to 5165 units in November, can be had in the UK with a 168-horsepower diesel. In North America, diesel bhp tops out at 140. The Golf is America's 90th-best-selling vehicle, trailing the Mini, Fiat 500, Dodge Challenger, BMW X5, and Toyota Venza. 

This list presents the 10 most popular cars in the United Kingdom from November 2012. Just as many of these cars posted huge year-over-year gains last month, the SMMT says the UK's overall market posted a 11.3% increase in November and is up 5.4% to 1.9 million sales through the first eleven months of 2012.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Focus	7495	+ 52.6%	77,850	+ 0.08%
#2	Ford Fiesta	7483	+ 20.8%	104,288	+ 15.0%
#3	Vauxhall Corsa	6164	+ 17.8%	84,924	+ 17.1%
#4	Volkswagen Golf	5165	+ 4.9%	59,465	+ 2.2%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	5032	+ 11.4%	57,911	+ 0.3%
#6	Nissan Qashqai	3403	+ 3.9%	42,835	+ 16.3%
#7	BMW 3-Series	3238	+ 11.7%	41,340	+ 2.8%
#8	BMW 1-Series	3135	n/a	31,292	n/a
#9	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	2901	+ 14.2%	35,328	n/a
#10	Mini	2787	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
* Mini refers to non-Countryman Minis. Mini UK sold 1637 Countrymans in November.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - December 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - October 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2011
UK Auto Sales By Brand - November 2012
America's 20 Best-Selling Cars - November 2012

October 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

Many Of The UK's Best-Selling Cars
Are Also Available In North America.
This Passat Alltrack, However, Is Not.

Not mentioned in the table below because of lower October 2012 UK sales results are the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Fiat 500. Respectively, they are the United Kingdom's ninth and tenth-best-selling cars through the first ten months of 2012. The C-Class trails the Volkswagen Polo by 4512 units; the Fiat 500 trails the C-Class Benz by 3212 units.

At the top of the heap sits the still-surging Ford Fiesta. The SMMT says UK new vehicle sales are up 5% this year, but Fiesta sales have risen 14.6%. Vauxhall's Corsa sales growth has also outperformed the industry with a 17.1% gain, though Corsa sales slid slightly in October 2012.

No car recorded a better year-over-year improvement last month than the Vauxhall Corsa, sales of which jumped 38.3%. Astra sales remain off last year's pace, but October still stands as a bright spot. Sales of the Nissan Qashqai were up 27.9% in October and, among industry leaders, the Qashqai's year-over-year growth through ten months is tops. 

Both the Volkswagen Golf and Polo reported drops in October; both cars are down year-to-date, as well. Overall, however, the Volkswagen brand was up 11.3% in October and is up 3% this year. Ford remains the United Kingdom's best-selling brand, outselling Vauxhall by more than 47,000 sales and Volkswagen by nearly 85,000 sales, but the Blue Oval goes it alone. Volkswagen has in its fold a stable of brands, including the UK's fourth-best-selling brand, Audi. UK auto sales brand rankings for October and YTD will be published on GoodCarBadCar in the coming hours.

For now, get to know these 10 best sellers, 70% of which are available in some form on this side of the Atlantic.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	October 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	8058	+ 10.3%	96,805	+ 14.6%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	6285	- 0.2%	78,760	+ 17.1%
#3	Ford Focus	5834	+ 12.1%	70,355	- 3.5%
#4	Vauxhall Astra	5754	+ 38.3%	52,879	- 0.6%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	4158	- 5.5%	54,300	- 0.2%
#6	BMW 3-Series	3762	+ 2.7%	38,102	+ 2.1%
#7	Nissan Qashqai	3567	+ 27.9%	39,432	+ 17.5%
#8	BMW 1-Series	3029	n/a	n/a	n/a
#9	Mini	2970	n/a	n/a	n/a
#10	Volkswagen Polo	2952	- 10.2%	36,939	- 7.5%

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
Mini refers to non-Countryman sales. Mini sold 1295 Countrymans in the UK in October.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - September 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - October 2011
United Kingdom Auto Sales By Brand - October 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - October 2012

September 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's auto industry produced collective gains of 8.2%, a surprisingly strong month in what's always a high-volume time of year for UK new car sales. Both of the UK's two best-selling cars posted year-over-year growth much better than the industry's overall average. 

Through the first three quarters of 2012, UK new vehicle sales are 4.3% stronger than they were in the first three quarters of 2011. Ford Fiesta sales jumped 15% over last year's three-month total of 77,198 units. Year-over-year, sales of the Vauxhall Corsa, the Fiesta's key rival, are up 19%, equal to 11,516 extra sales for GM's British underling. 

Ford Focus sales, meanwhile, have tumbled 5% this year. A year ago, the Focus was 6713 sales ahead of the Corsa. This year the Focus has fallen out of second place and is nearly 8000 sales behind the Corsa.

Both Mercedes-Benz's C-Class and BMW's 3-Series cracked the top seven in September UK car sales standings. The C-Class also outsold the 3er in the U.S. last month. Peugeot made its first appearance since March with the 207's successor, the aptly named 208. The 207 ranked ninth in March and tenth in January.

Brand-by-brand rankings are coming up shortly. Key links to other editions of this list are clickable at the bottom of this post.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	September 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	18,651	+ 19.2%	88,747	+ 15.0%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	17,089	+ 19.2%	72,475	+ 18.9%
#3	Ford Focus	13,837	- 6.2%	64,521	- 4.7%
#4	Vauxhall Astra	9864	- 5.7%	47,125	- 3.9%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	9270	- 12.8%	50,142	+ 0.3%
#6	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	7948	n/a	29,772	n/a
#7	BMW 3-Series	7726	+ 21.6%	34,340	+ 2.1%
#8	Nissan Qashqai	7471	+ 23.1%	35,865	+ 16.6%
#9	Volkswagen Polo	7291	- 15.3%	33,987	- 7.3%
#10	Peugeot 208	6741	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - October 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - August 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - September 2011
United Kingdom Auto Sales By Brand - September 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - September 2012

August 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

In what was briefly a faltering UK auto market in August 2012, none of the five best-selling cars sold as frequently as they had a year earlier. Overall, the United Kingdom's new vehicle market grew, but only by 87 units, equal to a 0.15% gain. Through eight months the UK auto market grew 3.3% as, according to the SMMT, diesel sales risen 4.8%, petrol sales improved 1.5%, and private registrations jumped 10.6%.

At the leading edge of those gains have been two small car rivals from FoMoCo and General Motors. Ford Fiesta sales are up 14% in 2012; Vauxhall Corsa sales have risen 19%. Together they've accounted for 10% of all new vehicles sold in the United Kingdom in 2012. 

Booted off the best-selling cars list in August were the Vauxhall Insignia and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Taking their place were BMW's 1-Series and the sharply dressed Vauxhall Zafira, a vehicle which could certainly steal sales in the Mazda 5's tiny market if it ever goes on sale in the United States. The Zafira hasn't been in the top 10 since February of last year. 

The Nissan Qashqai fell from sixth spot to eighth as year-over-year sales slid 5.6%. The Audi A3 moved up from ninth to seventh as year-over-year sales improved 10.5%. Through eight months, however, Qashqai sales are up 15% and the Audi A3 is not among the ten best-sellers. 

Eight-month totals see the Fiesta leading the way, followed as it is in the August standings by the Corsa, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, and Vauxhall Astra. Then in sixth sits the Qashqai, followed by the Volkswagen Polo, BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Vauxhall Insignia.

Why are we concentrating so much on year-to-date statistics? August is traditionally a low-volume auto sales month in the UK, as you may have deciphered when studying the numbers GoodCarBadCar published at the beginning of September 2011. Ford Fiesta sales at that point had dropped 52% from the month prior. If customs are followed, September sales will rise sharply. Last year Fiesta sales jumped from 3213 in August to 15,647 in September. SMMT's forecast says the overall new vehicle market in September will be 5.6 times the size of what it was in August 2012.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	August 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	2993	- 6.8%	70,096	+ 13.9%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	2430	- 16.2%	55,386	+ 18.8%
#3	Ford Focus	2089	- 26.9%	50,684	- 4.2%
#4	Volkswagen Golf	1933	- 3.1%	40,872	+ 3.8%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	1567	- 2.9%	37,261	- 3.4%
#6	Volkswagen Polo	1484	+ 1.2%	26,696	- 4.8%
#7	Audi A3	1243	+ 10.5%	n/a	n/a
#8	Nissan Qashqai	1238	- 5.6%	28,394	+ 15.0%
#9	Vauxhall Zafira	1164	n/a	n/a	n/a
#10	BMW 1-Series	1136	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - September 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - July 2012
UK Auto Sales By Brand - August 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - August 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - August 2012

July 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

The ten best-selling cars in the United Kingdom in July 2012 were, for the most part, the same cars which end every month as the UK's best-selling cars. The exceptions? Audi's A3 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. 

Through the first seven months of 2012, the best-selling premium brand car in the United Kingdom is still the BMW 3-Series, 4735 sales ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, July's seventh-ranked car. The 3-Series didn't crack the top ten in July.

Overall, the best-selling car in the UK was the Ford Fiesta. As Fiesta sales shot up 13% (in a market which rose 9%), Focus sales dropped 24%. That was the second worst decline among cars in the top 10. Year-to-date, the Fiesta is 14,147 sales ahead of its closest rival, the similarly-sized and similarly-priced Vauxhall Corsa. Corsa sales are up 21% this year.

America's 20 best-selling cars in July also featured the Focus - America's tenth-best-selling car - but none of the other cars on this list appeared on that U.S. list. Brands competing for UK customers have already been ranked by total July volume. Below, take a look at the UK's ten most popular auto nameplates.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	July 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	7533	+ 12.5%	67,103	+ 15.0%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	5809	+ 13.4%	52,956	+ 21.1%
#3	Vauxhall Astra	5211	+ 27.6%	35,694	- 3.4%
#4	Ford Focus	4742	- 23.9%	48,595	- 3.0%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	4367	+ 2.2%	38,939	+ 4.1%
#6	Nissan Qashqai	3721	+ 9.7%	27,156	+ 16.1%
#7	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	3163	n/a	20,780	n/a
#8	Volkswagen Polo	2863	- 22.3%	25,212	- 5.2%
#9	Audi A3	2711	n/a	n/a	n/a
#10	Vauxhall Insignia	2591	- 35.8%	20,481	- 31.7%

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

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Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - August 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - June 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - July 2011
UK Auto Sales By Brand - July 2012