Top 10: UK car sales Q1 2014

The arrival of the ‘14’ plate saw 464,824 cars registered in the UK during March, an increase of 17.7% compared to the same month last year. That growth, which was higher than expected, resulted mainly from pent-up retail demand, continued low interest rates and the availability of some attractive finance deals.

Taking the first quarter as a whole, figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show registrations now stand at 688,122. The ‘Private’ category accounts for just over half of that total.

Predictably, the three most popular models continue to be the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa. Lower down the top ten league table there weren’t many changes either, although the Fiat 500 and Audi A3 snuck into eighth and ninth place respectively.

With 39,240 registrations so far in 2014, the Ford

Fiesta remains the UK's best-selling new car.

One last stat: surprisingly, white paintwork was specified for 22.4% of new cars in March, making it the most popular colour choice.

Top 10: UK Car Registrations Q1 2014
Position	Manufacturer	Model	Registrations
1	Ford	Fiesta	39,240
2	Ford	Focus	24,759
3	Vauxhall	Corsa	23,839
4	Volkswagen	Golf	19,160
5	Vauxhall	Astra	17,465
6	Volkswagen	Polo	13,631
7	Nissan	Qashqai	12,937
8	Fiat	500	11,685
9	Audi	A3	11,583
10	BMW	3 Series	11,027

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