Last updated March 12th, 2024
Understanding the latest car market trends and data can help you make informed decisions, whether you’re an industry insider or a consumer.
We’ve collated the latest sales data, trends and statistics from across the new and used car markets to create a resource for automotive manufacturers, sellers, journalists and private buyers.
Our updated guide includes new sales data and industry commentary for the UK’s new and used car markets – and forecasts for the year ahead from leading automotive experts.
Q4 2023 |
Q4 2022 |
% change |
Year-to-date 2023 |
Year-to-date 2022 |
% change |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Used cars |
1,679,116 |
1,571,295 |
6.9% |
7,242,692 |
6,890,777 |
5.1% |
Source: SMMT
Source: Cap HPI, Car Dealer
The latest data from Autovista 24 and INDICATA shows that used car prices in Europe increased by 2.4% in January.
Source: Autovista 24, INDICATA
Year |
Number of used car sales |
---|---|
2023 |
7,242,692 |
2022 |
6,890,777 |
2021 |
7,530,956 |
2020 |
6,752,959 |
2019 |
7,935,105 |
2018 |
7,945,040 |
2017 |
8,113,020 |
2016 |
8,200,000 |
2015 |
7,640,015 |
2014 |
7,433,129 |
Source: SMMT
Powertrain type |
Number of transactions |
---|---|
Petrol |
4,079,555 |
Diesel |
2,747,911 |
HEV |
221,859 |
BEV |
118,973 |
PHEVs |
65,837 |
Source: SMMT
Car model |
Number of transactions |
---|---|
Ford Fiesta |
308,017 |
Vauxhall Corsa |
237,705 |
Volkswagen Golf |
227,427 |
Ford Focus |
223,417 |
Vauxhall Astra |
160,736 |
MINI |
158,298 |
BMW 3 Series |
155,100 |
Volkswagen Polo |
141,135 |
Nissan Qashqai |
120,286 |
Audi A3 |
118,805 |
Source: SMMT
Source: SMMT, Deloitte, Autotrader, Fleet News
Jamie Hamilton, Automotive Partner and Head of Electric Vehicles at Deloitte also said:
“The beginning of 2024 started off on a strong footing, with new car sales continuing to rise as business optimism encouraged investment in fleets."
“Looking ahead to 2024, the latest market outlook – published in November – anticipates 2024’s new car market to reach 1.97 million units, with 439,000 BEVs taking a 22.3% market share.”
Source: SMMT, Autovista24, Deloitte
Year |
Number of registrations |
---|---|
2023 |
1,903,054 |
2022 |
1,614,063 |
2021 |
1,647,181 |
2020 |
1,632,064 |
2019 |
2,311,140 |
2018 |
2,367,147 |
2017 |
2,540,617 |
2016 |
2,692,786 |
2015 |
2,633,503 |
2014 |
2,476,435 |
2013 |
2,264,737 |
2012 |
2,044,609 |
2011 |
1,941,253 |
Source: SMMT
In January 2024, new petrol car sales saw a 7.5% year-on-year (YoY) increase, with a total of 81,905 registrations. This gave the powertrain a 57.3% market share, marking a decrease of just 0.4% from 2023.
A total of 9,348 new diesel cars were registered in January, marking a 10.1% YoY decrease. Market share fell to 6.5% - a 1.4% drop from 2023.
2024 |
2023 |
% change |
Market share (2024) |
Market share (2023) |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diesel |
9,348 |
10,399 |
-10.1% |
6.5% |
7.9% |
Petrol |
81,905 |
76,213 |
7.5% |
57.3% |
57.7% |
Total |
91,253 |
86,612 |
63.8% |
65.6% |
Source: SMMT
Please note: The SMMT has changed how it reports mild hybrid sales data for 2024. Mild hybrid data is no longer reported separately. Instead, mild hybrids are included in either the petrol or diesel categories depending on their primary fuel type.
2024 |
2023 |
% change |
Market share (2024) |
Market share (2023) |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEV |
20,935 |
17,297 |
21.0% |
14.7% |
13.1% |
PHEV |
11,944 |
9,109 |
31.1% |
8.4% |
6.9% |
HEV |
18,744 |
18,976 |
-1.2% |
13.1% |
14.4% |
Total |
51,623 |
45,382 |
36.2% |
34.4% |
Source: SMMT, Deloitte
According to the latest DVLA data, in September 2023, there were 33,582,200 cars on UK roads. This marks a 1.29% increase from 33,154,700 – the figure reported in September 2022.
Source: DVLA
In 2023, there were 1,903,054 new car registrations in the UK, marking a 17.9% increase from the previous year.
Source: SMMT
Volkswagen was the top selling car brand in the UK for 2023, with 162,085 registrations, beating its nearest rival, Ford by a little over 18,000.
The German automaker achieved an 8.52% market share – almost a full point ahead of Ford’s 7.57%.
Source: SMMT
In 2023, the most popular car on the UK market was the Ford Puma with 49,591 registrations.
Source: SMMT
Based on the latest sales figures from January, the Kia Sportage is currently leading the race for the UK’s best-selling car of 2024 with 4,239 registrations to date.
Source: SMMT