Top 10: UK car sales 2013

Stats just published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that 2,264,737 new cars were registered in the UK during 2013. That figure, the highest annual amount recorded since 2007, was up almost 11% on 2012’s total of 2,044,609.

Of course registrations don’t necessarily mean sales, as the numbers can be easily distorted by dealer demonstrators, pre-registrations and other tactics such as the short-term placement of vehicles with daily rental companies.

Nevertheless the SMMT’s ‘Private’ registration category, which should be a more meaningful barometer of true retails, actually rose by 15.6% and so it accounted for most of the market growth. By comparison, the ‘Fleet’ and ‘Business’ sectors together showed a much more modest increase.

Total UK Car Registrations 2013 - By Category
Category 2013 2012 Change Change %
Private 1,074,622 929,440 145,182 15.6%
Fleet 1,084,279 1,025,501 58,778 5.7%
Business 105,836 89,668 16,168 18.0%
Total 2,264,737 2,044,609 220,128 10.8%
Fleet + Business 1,190,115 1,115,169 74,946 6.7%

The 2013 manufacturers’ league table held no surprises as Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen remained in the first three slots. Combined they accounted for one third of all registrations.

Ford Fiesta ST 3-Door (2013) Front Side
2013 saw Ford once again topping
the UK’s new car registration chart.

In fact, changes were very limited. Audi and Mercedes-Benz both moved up one position, while Citroën returned to the top ten displacing Hyundai.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2013 - By Manufacturer
Position 2013 Manufacturer Registrations Market Share Position 2012
1 Ford 310,865 13.7% 1
2 Vauxhall 259,444 11.5% 2
3 Volkswagen 194,085 8.6% 3
4 Audi 142,040 6.3% 5
5 BMW 135,583 6.0% 4
6 Nissan 117,967 5.2% 6
7 Mercedes-Benz 109,456 4.8% 8
8 Peugeot 105,435 4.7% 7
9 Toyota 88,648 3.9% 9
10 Citroën 78,358 3.5% 11

The individual models’ chart was fairly predictable too, with the Ford Fiesta retaining its seemingly unassailable position as the country’s most popular car.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2013 - By Model
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 121,929 5.4%
2 Ford Focus 87,350 3.9%
3 Vauxhall Corsa 84,275 3.7%
4 Vauxhall Astra 68,070 3.0%
5 Volkswagen Golf 64,951 2.9%
6 Nissan Qashqai 50,211 2.2%
7 BMW 3 Series 43,494 1.9%
8 Volkswagen Polo 42,609 1.9%
9 BMW 1 Series 41,883 1.9%
10 Peugeot 208 38,616 1.7%

Related posts:
Top 10: Irish car sales 2013
Top 10: UK car sales 2012

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