Top 10: UK car sales 2019

New car registrations in the UK declined for a third year running during 2019, but the overall reduction was fairly modest. However, as statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show, buying habits continued to change.

SMMT New Car Registrations 2003 - 2019

Last year, just over a quarter of purchasers opted for diesel, while demand for alternative powertrains grew. It’s necessary to point out that hybrid and pure-electric cars combined only accounted for 7.4% of sales though, which isn’t really a significant movement on 2018’s equivalent figure of 6.0%.

Total UK Car Registrations 2019 - By Powertrain Type
Powertrain 2019 2018 Change Change %
Diesel 615,705 750,165 -134,460 -17.9%
Petrol 1,525,001 1,475,712 +49,289 +3.3%
BEV 37,850 15,510 +22,340 +144.0%
PHEV 34,734 42,232 -7,498 -17.8%
HEV 97,850 83,528 +14,322 +17.1%
Total 2,311,140 2,367,147 -56,007 -2.4%
Of which: Alternative 170,434 141,270 +29,164 +20.6%
‘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.

Total UK Car Registrations 2019 - By Category
Category 2019 2018 Change Change %
Private 1,018,258 1,052,202 -33,944 -3.2%
Fleet 1,232,447 1,222,850 +9,597 +0.8%
Business 60,435 92,095 -31,660 -34.4%
Total 2,311,140 2,367,147 -56,007 -2.4%
Fleet + Business 1,292,882 1,314,945 -22,063 -1.7%

Turning to the top ten manufacturers, 2019’s league table looks very familiar.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW got promoted to third and fourth places respectively, primarily because Vauxhall suffered a major drop in volumes. Toyota and Kia similarly benefited from a relatively poor performance by Nissan.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2019 - By Manufacturer
Position 2019 Manufacturer Registrations Market Share Position 2018
1 Ford 236,137 10.2% 1
2 Volkswagen 200,771 8.7% 2
3 Mercedes-Benz 171,823 7.4% 4
4 BMW 169,753 7.3% 5
5 Vauxhall 159,830 6.9% 3
6 Audi 138,924 6.0% 6
7 Toyota 105,192 4.6% 8
8 Kia 97,323 4.2% 9
9 Nissan 92,372 4.0% 7
10 Hyundai 83,284 3.6% 10

Despite retaining its ‘most popular model’ accolade, Fiesta registrations fell by 18,059 compared to 2018. Consequently, the supermini’s market share slipped from 4.1% to 3.4%.

It wasn’t all bad news for Ford. The Focus jumped from fifth to third (thanks to 6,127 extra units), plus the Kuga rose from ninth to seventh.

An even more impressive result was achieved by the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. 53,724 examples were registered in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 10,197 that was enough to secure fifth spot.

Top 10: Total UK Car Registrations 2019 - By Model
Position Model Registrations Market Share
1 Ford Fiesta 77,833 3.4%
2 Volkswagen Golf 58,994 2.6%
3 Ford Focus 56,619 2.4%
4 Vauxhall Corsa 54,239 2.3%
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 53,724 2.3%
6 Nissan Qashqai 52,532 2.3%
7 Ford Kuga 41,671 1.8%
8 Mini Hatch 41,188 1.8%
9 Volkswagen Polo 37,453 1.6%
10 Kia Sportage 34,502 1.5%

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts:

Saab 9-3 Aero Carlsson

Image
Saab has got experience of producing special editions in honour of rally driver Erik Carlsson, having previously named versions of the 900 and 9000 after him during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Now it has decided to do it again, this time to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Swedish driver’s first win in Britain’s RAC Rally, which was achieved at the wheel of a Saab 96. Thankfully, the company has resisted the urge to just bung some fancy alloys and a few other extra bits onto something like a mid-range diesel model. Instead, it appears to have resurrected the limited edition Turbo X from a couple of years ago, as the new edition similarly features a turbocharged 2.8 litre petrol V6, Saab’s XWD all-wheel drive system and a six-speed automatic gearbox. The result is the 9-3 Aero Carlsson saloon, which turns out to be a very rapid car. With 276 bhp (205 kW / 280 PS) and a healthy 400 Nm of torque, the 0-60 mph (96 km/h) dash takes just 6.9 seconds. But it’s in the mid-range t...
Read more

American spec Fiat 500

Image
Fiat has released the first details and images of the North American specification 500. The tiny city car will be available in Pop, Lounge and Sport trim levels, and is distinguished from the European version by its more aggressive front and rear bumpers, bigger grille and flared sills. Another unique feature is the engine. Fiat has decided to use the 1.4 MultiAir unit currently found in models such as the Fiat Punto Evo and Alfa Romeo MiTo. Perhaps it felt that using the forthcoming two-cylinder TwinAir in the American 500 would have been too much for markets there to take? There’s no word yet on what power output the MultiAir will have, although in its current applications it comes with either 103 bhp (77 kW / 105 PS), 133 bhp (99 kW / 135 PS) or 167 bhp (125 kW / 170 PS). Similarly, prices have yet to be confirmed, but hopefully both details will have been sorted out by the time the order book for the 500 hatch opens later this year. For convertible fans, the 500C is due ...
Read more

i10 N Line versus the Up! GTI

Image
Hyundai has confirmed specifications and pricing for its sporty i10 N Line. This new variant – which arrives at dealers later this month – benefits from some cosmetic tweaks, unique suspension components and a more powerful 1.0 litre T-GDi turbocharged petrol engine.
Read more