Top 10: UK car sales 2016 - winners and losers

Total new car registrations hit an all-time high of 2,692,786 in 2016. Compared to 2015, that figure represented a modest rise of 2.3%. Of course, some manufacturers comfortably beat the market average, but it was a year to forget for others.

Infiniti easily topped the 2016 winners’ league table. A huge 141.9% increase was underpinned by the arrival of the Q30 compact hatchback, a rival for models such as the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3.

Infiniti Q30 (2016) Front Side
A market share of just 0.1% in 2016 means Infiniti remains a minnow.

Jaguar Land Rover also performed strongly, with both of the firm’s brands experiencing healthy growth. An extra 24,574 units meanwhile saw Mercedes-Benz post the highest absolute gain.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2016 - Winners
Manufacturer 2016 2015 Change Change %
Infiniti 2,891 1,195 1,696 141.9%
Jaguar 34,822 23,954 10,868 45.4%
Abarth 3,966 2,743 1,223 44.6%
Smart 12,020 8,455 3,565 42.2%
Bentley 1,948 1,379 569 41.3%
MG 4,192 3,152 1,040 33.0%
SsangYong 4,444 3,344 1,100 32.9%
Jeep 14,090 10,794 3,296 30.5%
Land Rover 79,534 66,574 12,960 19.5%
Mercedes-Benz 169,828 145,254 24,574 16.9%
Total Market 2,692,786 2,633,503 59,283 2.3%

Despite still being the nation’s three most popular marques, Ford, Vauxhall and post-dieselgate Volkswagen all managed to appear on the loser list.

Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate (2017) Front Side
Volkswagen's annual registrations dropped by 7.5% in 2016.

Indeed, seven of the entries come from the overcrowded and tough market sector which is neither premium nor budget. That undoubtedly says a lot about current buying habits.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2016 - Losers
Manufacturer 2016 2015 Change Change %
Mitsubishi 18,237 22,693 -4,456 -19.6%
Citroën / DS 78,889 88,626 -9,737 -11.0%
Lotus 339 375 -36 -9.6%
Volkswagen 207,028 223,784 -16,756 -7.5%
Vauxhall 250,955 269,766 -18,811 -7.0%
Fiat 60,581 64,257 -3,676 -5.7%
Peugeot 98,529 104,249 -5,720 -5.5%
Ford 318,316 335,267 -16,951 -5.1%
Aston Martin 906 949 -43 -4.5%
Alfa Romeo 4,881 5,069 -188 -3.7%
Total Market 2,692,786 2,633,503 59,283 2.3%

Related posts:
Top 10: UK car sales 2016
Top 10: New cars due in 2017
Top 10: UK car sales 2015 - winners and losers

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