Top 10: UK car sales Q3 2019

Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that 343,255 new cars were registered during the important ‘plate-change’ month of September. In other words, there was a modest increase of 4,421 units (or 1.3%) versus last year, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the year-to-date volume deficit.

As can be seen from the table below, petrol continues to be the fuel of choice with a 66.4% market share. Pure-electric vehicles are certainly becoming more popular though, thanks mainly to a wider selection of products and a growing recharging infrastructure.

Plug-in hybrids meanwhile are still suffering after the government withdrew their eligibility for the Plug-in Car Grant last October. However, demand seems to be recovering somewhat, as 5,179 were sold during September alone. The equivalent number for 2018 was 4,226.

Cumulative UK Car Registrations Q3 2019 - By Powertrain Type
Fuel 2019 2018 Change Change %
Diesel 499,878 607,212 -107,334 -17.7%
Petrol 1,236,602 1,192,599 +44,003 +3.7%
BEV 25,097 11,299 +13,798 +122.1%
PHEV 22,773 32,144 -9,371 -29.2%
HEV 77,921 67,566 +10,355 +15.3%
Total 1,862,721 1,910,820 -48,549 -2.5%
Of which: Alternative 125,791 111,009 +14,782 +13.3%
‘Alternative’ comprises battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Mild hybrids are included within the ‘Petrol’ and ‘Diesel’ categories.

Remarkably, the most popular car in September was the Corsa. Vauxhall’s supermini is due to be replaced very soon, so either there were some very tempting run-out offers, or dealers had to pre-register lots of existing stock.

Vauxhall Corsa Griffin 3-Door (2018) Front Side
Vauxhall Corsa

Nevertheless, the Ford Fiesta remains at the top of the cumulative model league table. In comparison to the situation at the end of the second quarter, the aforementioned Corsa swapped places with the Ford Focus, the Volkswagen Polo slipped from seventh to ninth place and the Toyota Yaris was replaced by the Kia Sportage.

Top 10: Cumulative UK Car Registrations Q3 2019 - By Model
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 64,564 3.5%
2 Vauxhall Corsa 47,574 2.6%
3 Volkswagen Golf 46,492 2.5%
4 Ford Focus 45,932 2.5%
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 43,293 2.3%
6 Nissan Qashqai 42,485 2.3%
7 Mini Hatch 32,394 1.7%
8 Ford Kuga 30,807 1.7%
9 Volkswagen Polo 30,066 1.6%
10 Kia Sportage 28,227 1.5%

Related posts:
Top 10: UK car sales Q2 2019
Top 10: UK car sales Q1 2019
Top 10: UK car sales 2018 - winners and losers
Top 10: UK car sales 2018

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