Best-selling cars 2024: The UK's most popular models of the year
The cars in favour based on latest official figures
Electric vehicles have been in sharp relief when it comes to new car sales in the second half of 2024. Most recently the discussion has been around a fall in demand for electric vehicles but figures from November show EV sales had risen during the month, and in fact it marked an eleventh successive monthly rise in sales and a 58.4 per cent increase on the same month a year earlier.
Jump straight to the list of top 10 best-selling cars
This figures, from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), suggest electric vehicle sales are in rude health but the organisation warned that the increases have been driven by heavy and unsustainable manufacturer discounting.
This year marks the first period in which carmakers are required to meet quotas for the proportion of new EVs they sell. The Zero Emission Vehicle (Zev) mandate demands that 22 per cent of sales are pure-electric in 2024, then 28 per cent in 2025 and rising each year to a full phase out of new cars with combustion engines by 2035. Manufacturers face fines for each car sold over and above the quota, although they can buy credits from other carmakers who exceed the targets.
Despite EV sales accounting for a market share of more than 25 per cent in November, the SMMT forecasts that by year end the figure for the industry as a whole is likely to be less than 19 per cent, despite the discounting.
Last month, car giant Stellantis announced it would be closing its factory in Luton, which has been producing cars and vans for over a hundred years, putting 1,100 jobs at risk. The firm said the decision was partly driven by the Zev mandate rules imposed to speed up the transition to electric vehicles in the UK. It followed Ford announcing earlier in the month that it would be shedding 800 jobs in the UK over the next three years.
“Manufacturers are investing at unprecedented levels to bring new zero emission models to market and spending billions on compelling offers,” said Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive. “Such incentives are unsustainable – industry cannot deliver the UK’s world-leading ambitions alone.
“It is right, therefore, that government urgently reviews the market regulation and the support necessary to drive it, given EV registrations need to rise by over a half next year. Ambitious regulation, a bold plan for incentives and accelerated infrastructure rollout are essential for success, else UK jobs, investment and decarbonisation will be at further risk.”
The UK’s top ten most popular new cars
But what are the UK’s best-selling new cars so far in 2024? Here are the top ten most popular models to date, based on the SMMT’s registration figures.
1. Ford Puma: 45,538 registrations in 2024
The Ford Puma topped the sales charts for 2023 as a whole and it’s proved a major success in 2024, too. Perhaps no surprise as Ford’s entry-level crossover SUV is one of the best-handling and most practical cars in its class.
In his review of the Puma, Jeremy Clarkson said he loved the washable boot (known as the “megabox”) and noted that the feature seemed to be designed by “an actual person who leads an actual life”.
The Puma’s positive reception by critics and public alike helped convince Ford of Europe to put all its resources into SUVs and electrified cars; as a result the Fiesta supermini has been discontinued while the new pure-electric Puma Gen-E is on the way, too. Quite the changing of the guard.
2. Kia Sportage: 45,454
The current Kia Sportage family SUV was relaunched in 2022, getting a new chassis and engine line-up along with more modern styling. The interior quality is excellent and the combined 12.3in digital displays give the interior a technologically-advanced look.
At the top of the Sportage range is a plug-in hybrid model developing 261bhp through its combination of 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor. A non-plug-in hybrid is available on this generation Sportage, as well as mild-hybrid petrol models and a diesel, so all buyers will be catered for whatever their fuel preference.
It’s up against polished rivals such as its cousin, the Hyundai Tucson, as well as the VW T-Roc, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga, so competition in this sector is fierce.
3. Nissan Qashqai: 39,047
An all-time high for the Nissan Qashqai in terms of sales came in 2022, with it becoming the UK’s best-selling car, though its popularity continued through 2023 and it finished last year as the UK’s second most popular model.
The Qashqai helped popularise the crossover genre, having a bigger impact on the types of cars we drive than almost any other car launched this century. SUVs and crossovers now dominate sales.
The all-new Qashqai launched in 2021 with a hybrid “e-Power” variant, clever technology, a fresher design and more upmarket interior, and we liked it enough to name it our Small SUV / Crossover of the Year. No doubt its sales success has quite a lot to do with our award; you’re welcome, Nissan.
But there’s no denying that whether buying new or used, the Qashqai is a decent and able family car, with good fuel economy, a smart design and lots of tech at an affordable price. Plus it’s built in Sunderland.
4. Nissan Juke: 32,482
We don’t often see the Juke — the Qashqai’s smaller sibling — in the top 10, so Nissan will be delighted that it has two of its crossovers in the 10 best-selling cars for 2024.
The Juke has been a bit of a Marmite car in the past but the second generation model is an objectively more attractive proposition and the introduction of a hybrid version has clearly caught the eye of many new car buyers who value fuel economy and low running costs.
Like the Qashqai, the Juke is built in Sunderland and so the “buy local” effect may be a factor in its popularity. But the Juke drives well, appeals to young drivers, has plenty of tech and is competitively priced, which makes the compact crossover an attractive proposition for buyers of all ages.
Hopefully, the forthcoming replacement model, announced earlier this year, will continue in much the same vein.
5. Volkswagen Golf: 30,964
You’d have thought the VW Golf would be doing rather better than it has been since Ford discontinued the Focus, especially against more expensive rivals such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series, but the current version hasn’t been the darling of the motoring press. Many highlighted a frustrating touchscreen infotainment system.
That’s now been addressed with the new Golf Mk 8.5, as VW is calling it, and it features a much sharper, easy-to-use touchscreen and backlit sliders for easier operation at night. It also offers sharper looks and a new plug-in hybrid capable of 62 miles on electric power alone (officially). This should give what many consider to be the benchmark hatchback a boost in sales.
Look beyond the tech, though, and the Golf has many redeeming features. The ride quality is excellent and the refinement top notch. The handling is pleasing, too, and it comes in many flavours including the sporty GTI and GTI Clubsport, GTE plug-in hybrid, diesel GTD and fire-breathing four-wheel-drive Golf R.
6. Hyundai Tucson: 30,499
The Hyundai Tucson crept back into the top ten following a strong sixth-place finish in June, and it matched that again in July, no doubt helped by the arrival of the first examples of the facelifted model.
The Tucson shares its underpinnings with the Kia Sportage, and a very competent SUV it is, too. Buyers can choose from a wide range of powertrains, from simple petrol engines to “self-charging” hybrids and a powerful, efficient plug-in hybrid option.
7. MG HS: 28,595
A visit to the top 10 best-selling cars is unusual for MG, though it could be a sign of things to come. Although a British brand, MG is owned by Chinese state-owned megacorp SAIC, and many can see Chinese companies dominating global vehicle production and sales over the coming years.
The MG HS is the brand’s rival to the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Ford Kuga and the many others in the crowded mid-sized crossover segment, though with prices starting at £24,995 it’s able to undercut its competitors.
The price reflects its refinement, though, and reviews show the cost savings are apparent inside, in its driving manners and under the bonnet.
Still, it’s a smart-looking thing, thanks to a design refresh in 2024, and you can’t argue with its practicality, seven-year warranty or price tag.
8. Audi A3: 28,105
The Audi A3 has been around since 1996 and is now in its fourth generation. It’s built on the same underpinnings as — and is a similar size to — the VW Golf and Seat Leon, but considered a more upmarket alternative to both Volkswagen Group stablemates, with a higher price point (starting at £28,650).
For that reason it’s interesting that it was outselling both Golf and Leon for much of the year, again showing we Brits like an upmarket brand. But in some ways the A3 is more versatile than either of those siblings; you can pick up an A3 in hatchback or saloon forms, and in sporty or rip-snorting guises as the S3 and RS 3. There’s been a plug-in hybrid version, too.
The recent facelifted versions are likely to be the last of the petrol-powered A3s, as Audi is set to launch its final fossil-fuelled cars in Europe in 2025, so expect the fifth-gen A3 to be pure electric. Buyers seem to be snapping up the dinosaur-burner versions while they can.
9. Tesla Model Y: 27,697
Based on the Model 3 saloon, the pure-electric Tesla Model Y crossover adds a lot more practicality to the usual things we expect from a Tesla, such as excellent efficiency and an ultra-minimalist cabin and connected technology. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has been courting controversy in the news for quite some time, and some car buyers have been put off by his political allegiances, but sales are still excellent because the products are objectively good, and in some ways market leading.
10. Volkswagen Polo: 27,674
More than 18 million VW Polos have been sold over its six generations and nearly five decades since going on sale, and the supermini has been very popular in the UK, where we’ve snapped up nearly one in ten of those produced. It’s still going strong, clearly, making the top 10 best sellers for 2024.
A refresh of the current version came in February 2022, with a new front and rear end, smarter headlights, new paint colours and updated tech. The standard model can be had with three versions of a 1-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with power outputs between 79bhp and 108bhp, with five-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmissions.
At the top of the range, though, is the Polo GTI with a 2-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that produces 204bhp and is mated to the auto ‘box, for a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds.
Related articles
- After reading about the most popular cars in the UK in 2024, you might be interested to look back at the best-selling cars of 2023.
- Q&A: Volkswagen Group UK boss Alex Smith on sales, electric vehicle incentives, China and the relatable brilliance of Skoda
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