The automotive landscape has changed dramatically in the last 25 years – who has ridden the tides best?
The bestsellers – so far.
These, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, are the UK’s bestselling new cars of the past 25 years. Surprising? Perhaps not, given that Ford’s Focus and Fiesta both well-established names by the turn of the century — occupy the top spots.
But how about the Nissan Qashqai, an entirely new kind of car, working its way in? And it’s the only SUV here, which is another surprise. So, too, is the Peugeot 206, which sold for only a single generation. We certainly didn’t see that one coming.
Ford Fiesta
Total UK sales: 2,129,648
That the death of the Fiesta made national news headlines demonstrates just how much love Ford’s long-serving supermini had received in the UK. But even that perhaps understates its total domination of the market, having held the top spot on the SMMT’s annual sales charts between 2009 and 2020. The decision to kill the Fiesta in the face of waning profits could well go down as one of the industry’s greatest blunders or bravest decisions of all time.
Ford Focus
Total UK sales: 2,066,304
It’s difficult to overstate just how much of a risk the Focus was for Ford of Europe. Sure, the Escort had become naff, but it still sold in huge numbers; to rip up that legacy and start afresh must have taken some convincing. It’s just as well, then, that Ford’s risk was rewarded with one of the best-selling cars of all time. We’ll miss it when it goes.
Vauxhall Corsa
Total UK sales: 1,838,912
Thoroughly unexceptional but a national favourite nonetheless. We would challenge you to find someone who hasn’t driven a Corsa at some point. With the Ford Fiesta now gone and the Focus on its way out, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this one up top in the years to come.
Vauxhall Astra
Total UK sales: 1,459,214
Being manufactured at Ellesmere Port kept prices for this decent family hatchback attractively low, and that in turn generated huge demand. But sales have yet to recover from the double whammy of Astra production moving to Germany and the model moving upmarket.
Volkswagen Golf
Total UK sales: 1,450,860
No surprise here. For decades the Golf has been quite possibly the best all-rounder on sale: sumptuous but not ostentatious, punchy yet efficient, and with a broad range of powertrains and bodystyles. The Golf is anything to anyone, and the sales figures reflect that.
Nissan Qashqai
Total UK sales: 707,376
Astonishingly, this is the only car in the top 10 that didn’t already exist in some form at the turn of the millennium. A remarkable gamble on Nissan’s British engineers yielded a huge result – the Qashqai was even the UK’s overall best-seller in 2022.
Renault Megane
Total UK sales: 570,638
Perhaps the Mégane’s biggest misstep was to lose its edge. The second and third generations sold in huge numbers thanks to their wacky designs, but the Mk4 did nothing all that special, and buyer interest declined.
Renault Clio
Total UK sales: 551,421
Never quite the best in class, but always an attractive, decent-to-drive option. That, and surviving the entire 25-year period, allows the Clio to climb as high as it has. Expect it to remain up here in the years to come.
Volkswagen Polo
Total UK sales: 550,408
A tidy design, a refined drive and an affordable price gave the Polo staying power, and it quietly built a fine reputation and accumulated strong sales.
Peugeot 206
Total UK sales: 529,050
The 206 started rolling off the line at Ryton in summer 1999 to immediate success; in 2002, it passed the 100,000-unit milestone – the kind of sales figure that could sustain an entire brand nowadays.
Source: Autocar
