Nine of the 10 best-selling used cars in the UK are still traditional hatchbacks and superminis, in stark contrast to the popularity of SUVs among buyers of new cars.
The greater sales potential and profitability of crossovers and SUVs – together with the arrival of margin-slashing safety and emissions regulations – have threatened the commercial viability of superminis and small family hatchbacks in recent years. As a result, many such models have been withdrawn from sale as their manufacturers focus instead on larger, higher-riding models.
This trend is reflected in the evolution of the top 10 new cars sales chart. In 2015, just two crossovers featured – the Vauxhall Mokka and Nissan Qashqai – and the chart was comfortably topped by the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Focus.
Ten years later, the Qashqai is one of eight SUVs in the UK’s top 10 list of best-selling new cars, with the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage the two most popular models of 2025 so far. The fourth-placed Vauxhall Corsa and the Volkswagen Golf, at number six, are the only non-SUVs to feature in the top 10.
However, almost the opposite is true of today’s second-hand market, where hatchbacks dominate and the Qashqai is the only SUV to feature in the top 10 best-sellers for the first half of the year.
Superminis remain the best-selling used car by body type and the Ford Fiesta was the country’s best-selling used car in the first six months of 2025.
Despite Ford withdrawing the Fiesta from sale in 2023, almost 1.4 million Fiestas were still registered in the UK at the end of last year, which means it remains the most common car on the nation’s roads.
These latest figures suggest there is still strong demand for the sort of small combustion cars that are being forced out of production for legislative and economic reasons – a view that is reinforced by their relatively strong residual values.
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