One car manufacturer has spoken of its “delight” after being ranked the best-selling brand in 2024, with the UK seeing almost two million vehicles sold across all marques.
According to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 1,952,778 new cars were registered in 2024, marking the best year for sales since 2019.
Electric vehicles had their best year with 382,000 registrations, capturing an impressive 19.6 per cent of the total market share of new car registrations.
Volkswagen reigned supreme as the best-selling manufacturer with 166,000 new vehicles registered – over 40,000 more than BMW in second place.
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Volkswagen was the best-selling brand in the UK last year, with the Golf being its most popular model
VOLKSWAGEN
The German brand represented 8.5 per cent of the total market share, selling 4,000 more vehicles than the previous year.
In total, eight manufacturers sold more than 100,000 vehicles over the last 12 months, including BMW, Audi, Kia, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Nissan.
Commenting on the sales record, Rod McLeod, director of Volkswagen UK, said: “I am delighted that Volkswagen is once again the top-selling new-car brand in the UK – and with a healthy gap between us and the next closest brand in the market.
“The results announced today underline the quality and popularity of our range, and of course our fantastic network of Volkswagen Retailers, who continue to deliver outstanding customer service.
“The past 12 months have had many highlights, including Golf’s 50th anniversary, the re-introduction of Match trims, and glowing reviews and awards for new models including the ID.7, Passat and Tiguan.”
BMW was the second most popular brand in the UK last year
BMW
The best-selling car brands in 2024
- Volkswagen – 166,304
- BMW – 125,265
- Audi – 122,431
- Kia – 112,252
- Ford – 109,955
- Mercedes-Benz – 102,757
- Toyota – 101,444
- Nissan – 100,446
- Hyundai – 91,808
- MG – 81,536
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling vehicle in December
TESLA
The SMMT’s December data shows how Tesla dominated sales with the Model Y selling 5,165 models in first place and the Model 3 taking second place with 3,477 new registrations.
Despite the impressive sales, only the Tesla Model Y was able to break into the top 10 best-selling cars for 2024, placing in fifth.
The best-selling vehicle of 2024 was the Ford Puma. The compact mild hybrid SUV dominated sales charts all year with drivers attracted to the £26,350 price tag, regenerative braking and seven-speed automatic transmission.
Ford could continue to be one of the best-selling brands in the UK this year as it rolls out the electric Puma Gen-E Select. It comes equipped with a 233-mile battery range, a sub-£30,000 list price and can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in just 23 minutes.
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The best-selling new vehicles of 2024
- Ford Puma – 48,340
- Kia Sportage – 47,163
- Nissan Qashqai – 42,418
- Nissan Juke – 34,454
- Tesla Model Y – 32,862
- Volkswagen Golf – 32,370
- Hyundai Tucson – 32,174
- MG HS – 30,207
- Volvo XC40 – 30,202
- Volkswagen Polo – 28,981
