Top 10: UK car sales Q2 2016

June saw 2,051 fewer new cars registered in the UK compared to the same month last year. Sensibly, that reduction is being described as 'market stabilisation' by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The year-to-date total of 1,420,636 was ahead of 2015's corresponding figure by 43,747 units though, an increase of 3.2%. Of course, June's Brexit referendum result would have had a negligible effect on those numbers, but there's definitely some industry uncertainty going into the third quarter.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, seems clear on where responsibility lies for pre-emptive action. He commented, “It's important government takes every measure to restore business and economic confidence to avoid the market contracting in the coming months.”

Unsurprisingly, the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Focus remain the country's most popular models. Except for the Audi A3 and Fiat 500 being replaced by the Mini and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the rest of the quarterly top-ten table was largely unchanged too.

Top 10: Cumulative UK Car Registrations Q2 2016
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 68,833 4.9%
2 Vauxhall Corsa 42,356 3.0%
3 Ford Focus 38,715 2.7%
4 Volkswagen Golf 37,577 2.7%
5 Nissan Qashqai 33,656 2.4%
6 Vauxhall Astra 28,406 2.0%
7 Volkswagen Polo 28,000 2.0%
8 Mini Hatch 24,293 1.7%
9 Vauxhall Mokka 22,462 1.6%
10 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 22,069 1.6%

Mercedes-Benz C 300 Coupé (2016) Front Side
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is now the UK's tenth best-selling model.

Turning to fuel types, the 'alternative' category – comprising mainly hybrid and full-electric vehicles – didn't manage to grow its share during the second quarter. Another key point to note is that a large-scale switch away from diesel following recent emissions scandals has yet to materialise.

Fuel Diesel Petrol Alternative
Q2 2016 YTD 47.9% 48.8% 3.2%
Q2 2015 YTD 48.3% 48.9% 2.8%
Change -0.4% -0.1% +0.4%

Related posts:
Top 10: UK car sales Q1 2016
Top 10: UK car sales 2015 - winners and losers
Top 10: UK car sales 2015

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