UK car sales hit an all time high during 2015 according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders today. Over 2.6m new cars were sold last year as buyers took advantage of cheap finance deals and attractive prices underpinned by the weak Euro.
Registrations of petrol cars were up by 8.4% whilst sales of diesel cars grew by 3% during 2015. Interestingly, both fuel types now have an equal 48% share of the market. Demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles continues to boom, as registrations increased by 40% on the previous year. Plug-in hybrids experienced phenomenal growth, with volumes more than doubling, while pure electric vehicles saw an uplift of around 50%.
Volkswagen recovered from a November sales slump in the wake of the dieselgate emissions scandal and ended the year with an increased market share. Premium brand stable mate Audi also saw a bounce in sales. However, by contrast, sales of Skoda and SEAT continued to bear the brunt of the fall-out. Skoda’s sales contracted by 1%, whist registrations of SEAT models fell by a whopping 46% during December alone. The Spanish brand saw almost 11% wiped from their market share during 2015.
The Ford Fiesta finished the year as the UK’s most popular car, racking up 41,000 more sales than the second placed Vauxhall Corsa. The Ford Focus occupies third place, whilst the mysterious Vauxhall Mokka success story continues as it rounds out the top ten best sellers.
Top Selling UK cars in 2015
- Ford Fiesta
- Vauxhall Corsa
- Ford Focus
- Volkswagen Golf
- Nissan Qashqai
- Volkswagen Polo
- Vauxhall Astra
- Audi A3
- MINI
- Vauxhall Mokka