Top 10: UK car sales Q3 2018

Being a plate-change month, September is usually a good indicator of the strength of the UK new car market. Not in 2018 though, because the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and the associated Real Driving Emissions (RDE) assessment created chaos.

The two regimes came into force at the beginning of September. After that, any unevaluated models could not be sold within the European Union.

Dealers rushed to shift non-certified vehicles before the deadline, of course. 94,094 registrations during August – an abnormally high figure which represented a 23.1% year-on-year increase for the month – were evidence of this.

By contrast, September’s total was just 338,834 units, a drop of 20.5% versus 2017. Supply issues caused by manufacturers struggling to comply with WLTP and RDE requirements explained much of the shortfall.

The overall result was a cumulative 7.5% volume reduction. As expected, diesel’s share continued to suffer as customers chose petrol or alternative fuels instead.

Cumulative UK Car Registrations Q3 2018 - By Fuel Type
Fuel 2018 2017 Change Change %
Diesel 607,092 884,188 -277,096 -31.3%
Petrol 1,189,154 1,088,098 +101,056 +9.3%
Alternative 114,574 94,125 +20,449 +21.7%
Total 1,910,820 2,066,411 -155,591 -7.5%

Despite the upheaval, the top ten individual models list remained almost identical to last quarter’s.

Nevertheless, the Vauxhall Corsa swapped positions with the Ford Focus, while the Kia Sportage replaced the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Kia Sportage (2019) Front Side
The Kia Sportage is now the tenth most popular car in the UK.

Top 10: Cumulative UK Car Registrations Q3 2018 - By Model
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 79,416 4.2%
2 Volkswagen Golf 52,162 2.7%
3 Vauxhall Corsa 43,481 2.3%
4 Nissan Qashqai 41,943 2.2%
5 Ford Focus 40,222 2.1%
6 Volkswagen Polo 34,353 1.8%
7 Mini Hatch 33,876 1.8%
8 Ford Kuga 32,480 1.7%
9 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 31,800 1.7%
10 Kia Sportage 28,779 1.5%

Related posts:
Top 10: UK car sales Q2 2018
Top 10: UK car sales 2017 - winners and losers
Top 10: UK car sales 2017

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