Top 10: UK car sales 2014

2,476,435 new cars were registered in the UK during 2014. That figure, just published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, represents a 9.3% increase compared to 2013.

The growth seen throughout 2014 was spread fairly evenly between the SMMT’s Private and combined Fleet / Business categories. It’s worth noting that the former is perhaps a more reliable indicator of true retail sales, because the latter can be used to hide extra dealer demonstrators, pre-registrations and other number-massaging tricks that manufacturers sometimes resort to.

Total UK Car Registrations 2014 - By Category
Category 2014 2013 Change Change %
Private 1,179,499 1,074,622 104,877 9.8%
Fleet 1,178,416 1,084,279 94,137 8.7%
Business 118,520 105,836 12,684 12.0%
Total 2,476,435 2,264,737 211,698 9.3%
Fleet + Business 1,296,936 1,190,115 106,821 9.0%

Despite the rise in overall volumes, the 2014 and 2013 manufacturers’ league tables are identical. Ford and Vauxhall continue to dominate with a collective market share of almost 25%.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2014 - By Manufacturer
Position 2014 Manufacturer Registrations Market Share Position 2013
1 Ford 326,643 13.2% 1
2 Vauxhall 269,177 10.9% 2
3 Volkswagen 214,828 8.7% 3
4 Audi 158,987 6.4% 4
5 BMW 148,878 6.0% 5
6 Nissan 138,338 5.6% 6
7 Mercedes-Benz 124,419 5.0% 7
8 Peugeot 103,566 4.2% 8
9 Toyota 94,012 3.8% 9
10 Citroën 83,397 3.4% 10

Unsurprisingly, the Ford Fiesta remains the country’s most common choice for new car buyers. Actually, the first six positions in the models’ ranking are no different to 2013’s listing.

Ford Fiesta Black Edition 3-Door (2014) Front Side
The Ford Fiesta is still the UK's most popular car.

However, some changes towards the bottom have seen the BMW 3 Series, BMW 1 Series and Peugeot 208 all drop out of the top ten. BMW’s decision to apply the 2 Series and 4 Series nameplates to its 1 Series and 3 Series coupé and convertible replacements meant that two of those relegations weren’t unexpected, though.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2014 - By Model
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 131,254 5.3%
2 Ford Focus 85,140 3.4%
3 Vauxhall Corsa 81,783 3.3%
4 Volkswagen Golf 73,880 3.0%
5 Vauxhall Astra 59,689 2.4%
6 Nissan Qashqai 49,909 2.0%
7 Volkswagen Polo 48,004 1.9%
8 Audi A3 45,581 1.8%
9 Fiat 500 44,005 1.8%
10 Nissan Juke 39,263 1.6%

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Top 10: New cars due in 2015
Top 10: UK car sales 2013

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