A Decade of Cars: The Top Vehicles the UK Chose to Sell
This study was conducted by webuyanycar, the UK's go-to online car-buying service and car valuation experts. If you'd like to use the visuals or data from the study, please credit webuyanycar with a link.
webuyanycar is marking 20 years of helping motorists across the UK, from providing a simple car-selling solution to offering guidance and advice as drivers navigate the ever-changing automotive landscape. In the two decades we've been buying cars, we've seen many changes, but it's fair to say there has been a seismic shift in the UK's relationship with cars over the past decade, unlike any before it. From the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone and new Clean Air Zones in other major cities, to the global pandemic, rising fuel costs, and the growth of electric vehicles, many factors have all shaped why and when drivers decide to part ways with their cars.
We're taking a closer look at the data to understand just how much has changed. Using internal data from vehicles sold to us between 2016 and 2025, we've analysed millions of purchases over the past decade to uncover what UK motorists have been moving on from, and what the trends reveal about changing ownership habits.
By breaking down this decade of data, we've identified how the mix of vehicles entering the resale market has changed over the years - across make, model, body type, fuel and colour.
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The car makes drivers sold the most
Explainer: Here we rank the most commonly sold models between 2016 and 2025.
According to our data, Ford is the UK's most sold car make, continuously seeing the highest number of sales across the last 10 years.
Ford's enduring popularity isn't surprising - with models like the Fiesta and Focus dominating UK driveways for years, they naturally became the most commonly sold vehicles as ownership cycles matured.
Vauxhall and Volkswagen similarly reflect the long-term popularity of practical, everyday cars. Meanwhile, the presence of more premium brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi highlights that even higher-end brands appear largely in resale volumes, particularly as newer models encouraged owners to move on from older vehicles.
The shift over the decade has been slow but steady. While popular mass-market brands remain a staple of the resale market, premium vehicles are now beginning to occupy a growing share as more drivers upgrade, downsize, or trade for alternative fuel types.
Ford Fiesta: The nation's most sold model
As thousands of Fiestas aged into their resale window with vehicles typically depreciating by 30-50% within the first three years of ownership, they consistently topped our annual data.
The Fiesta's dominance cements its long-standing role in British motoring - it's affordable, reliable, and familiar. For a long time, it was one of the best-selling new cars in the UK, before the much-loved model was discontinued in 2023. Even since then, its legacy footprint continues to be reflected in resale volumes.
Explainer: This chart ranks the models sold to us most often between 2016 and 2025
The Fiesta was followed by a familiar group of British motoring staples, including the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra, reflecting the enduring popularity of the practical hatchbacks that dominate UK roads and eventually feed the resale market in large numbers.
The most frequently sold electric vehicles
Electric vehicle sales volumes have grown at an exceptional rate over the past decade. Since 2016, when annual purchases were only in double figures, the number of EVs sold to us has increased over the years, reaching several thousand units in 2025.
The most significant year-on-year increase was seen in 2021, when EV volumes entering the resale market rose by 239% compared with the previous year, aligning with major developments across the wider EV market during 2021, including a record increase in electric vehicle registrations - accounting for 18.6% of all new car registrations, up from 8.4% the previous year!
Looking specifically at the most frequently sold EV models over the period, here are the leaders:
The mix of EVs entering the resale market between 2016 and 2025 highlights how electric adoption has evolved over the years - with early pioneers such as the Nissan Leaf topping the list thanks to its strong fleet presence, meaning that large volumes are now reaching the typical changeover points.
Following closely behind, the Tesla Model 3 reflects the late-2010s surge in mainstream EV adoption, while established names like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S also feature, translating to early adopters upgrading to newer, longer-range models.
As EV battery technology continues to improve and ranges increase, more first-generation EVs are continuing to reach the resale stage and move through full ownership cycles.
Fuel types and the growth of electric
The change in fuel types represents arguably the most significant transition we've seen over the last 10 years, with electric vehicles sold to us seeing a huge increase since 2016. Despite this, sales of petrol vehicles remain dominant.
This clear shift in consumer behaviour became more apparent from 2020 onwards, which saw the most significant acceleration of sales, aligning with tighter emissions regulations across the country, increased government incentives, and a quickly expanding selection of new EV models becoming available.
For drivers not yet ready to fully commit to electric, hybrids appear to have offered a middle ground - combining lower emissions with the familiarity and convenience of traditional refuelling.
This was followed by diesel and petrol - while still noting increases, their growth was far slower than that of electric vehicles.
The UK's most-sold car colours: Familiarity dominates the resale market
When it comes to the most popular cars entering the used car market, our data has found that "old habits die hard" - with black the most consistently sold car colour every year. This was followed by silver, white, blue, and grey.
10 most popular colours of cars sold to webuyanycar from 2016-2025
Despite black cars maintaining the top spot, white cars saw the biggest increase in sales to webuyanycar.
Neutral colours consistently dominated resale volumes throughout the decade, suggesting that vehicle choices continue to be heavily influenced by long-term resale considerations. This enduring appeal of understated finishes meant brighter colours appeared less frequently in the resale market throughout the decade.
Overall, since 2016, vehicles sold to us indicate a steady shift in UK motoring trends:
- The Ford Fiesta remained the decade's most frequently sold model.
- Electric vehicles recorded the fastest growth by far.
- Petrol remains the most commonly sold fuel type, but it no longer leads in the growth department.
However, as regulatory and technological change continues, the next decade of resale data may look very different from the last.
The next decade: Car resale predictions for the next 10 years
The past decade of data has highlighted a whole host of trends and shifts in motorists' behaviours, preferences, and priorities. The last 10 years were about electric cars breaking into the mainstream. However, our data shows that the next 10 look set to cement EVs and hybrids as resale regulars rather than rare finds as combustion-only models gradually decline.
Compact SUVs and family-friendly vehicles are likely to remain dominant, proving that practicality never goes out of style, but it's not all about size! Our recent roundup of UK car market statistics also highlights that in 2025, "supermini" city runarounds accounted for a large share of used transactions as more drivers looked for smaller, cost-effective cars built for urban life, which is a trend we could see continue to grow.
And while black, grey and silver may still hold prevalence on the driveway, we wouldn't be surprised to see more colourful cars entering the mix. As the market evolves and times change, buyers may decide it's time their cars reflect a little more personality, too.
Methodology
Internal purchase data from 2016 to 2025, supplied by webuyanycar, was collected and analysed in February 2026.