In 2024, Ford was the second most popular car brand in the United Kingdom after Volkswagen. The Detroit-based company sold some ******* vehicles in the UK and reached a market share of about *** percent that year. Volkswagen held some *** percent of the market. Ford in the United Kingdom Brexit casts its shadow over the auto industry, and hence, the company decided to shut down its plant in Bridgend, adding on to the growing list of automakers in the process of ceasing operations at car production plants in the United Kingdom. That said, the Ford Motor Company will remain present in the United Kingdom, continuing to operate an engine plant in Dagenham. Car sales in the United Kingdom were down ** percent in May 2020, due to closed dealerships and consumer spending uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of December 2020, UK car sales were down by almost eleven percent compared with 2019.

In 2024, around **** million motor vehicles were sold in the United Kingdom, down from its peak at around *** million units in 2016. Sales recovery does not match 2019 levels In 2024, the UK was the second-largest car market in Europe. New passenger car registrations had grown in the country in 2023, up to the highest volume recorded since their dramatic drop in 2020. However, amid Brexit, the automotive semiconductor shortage, raw material price inflation, and an overall cost of living crisis, the UK's automotive industry has faced various challenges and has yet to reach its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level. The impact of inflation on car purchases The United Kingdom recorded its highest inflation rate since the 1990s in 2022, a situation that marginally improved in 2023. And, in 2024, the average inflation rate dropped to **** percent. New cars were particularly impacted by the inflation, with their consumer price index being at its highest in the past 15 years in 2023. Despite the inflating prices, car purchasing intentions remained relatively stable based on surveys ending in September 2023 and September 2024, with around **** of UK residents reporting their intention of buying a car in the 12 months following the survey. This is, however, a positive development compared to purchase intentions reported in that same survey ending in September 2022.

In December 2020, car intenders in the United Kingdom purchased around ***** new Jaguar cars. UK car sales nosedived amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The peaks seen in March and September are due to the issuing of new registration plates by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Jaguar's market share In December 2020, Jaguar's share of the UK car market stood at **** percent. This figure represents Jaguar's highest market share between January 2019 and December 2020. Year-to-date, Jaguar’s market share amounted to **** percent, slightly above the average level during the past two years. About Jaguar and Land Rover The British automobile company began production in 1935 and has been a part of the luxury brand Jaguar Land Rover since 2013. In 2019, the Jaguar and Land Rover brands had combined sales of ******* units in Europe. The United Kingdom is Jaguar's largest single market.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by MG in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2014 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. From 2018 onward, MG monthly sales volume generally increased in comparison to the previous years. In December 2019, 1,700 new units had been sold, an increase of roughly 162 percent in comparison to the same month a year beforehand.

German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen sold some 12,500 cars in the United Kingdom in November 2024. The peaks seen in March and September are due to the issuing of new registration plates by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which usually corresponds with an increased sales volume. Volkswagen’s UK market share sits at approximately 8.5 percent in 2023. DieselgateIn 2015, Volkswagen was caught deliberately cheating in emissions tests, by fitting their diesel cars with software designed to lower emissions levels in testing conditions, to meet respective air quality standards. Although they were not the only carmaker exposed for such practices, as the first name connected with the scandal, Volkswagen became synonymous with “Dieselgate”. As of April 5, 2019, the European Commission has come to the preliminary conclusion that German carmakers Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler AG had breached EU antitrust rules by colluding to mitigate competition on emission technology. Volkswagen maintains UK market positionVolkswagen doubled down on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and is on track to become one of the leading makers of plug-in electric vehicles globally. Volkswagen also continues to rank among the largest automotive companies worldwide. Despite Volkswagen’s struggles, the company was able to maintain its market position in the United Kingdom, where it was the best-selling brand in 2023.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by SEAT in the United Kingdom (UK) between ********* and *************. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In **************, around ***** new SEAT cars had been sold, an increase of roughly **** percent in comparison **************.

This statistic shows the number of cars sold by Lotus in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Lotus is a British company and subsidiary of the Malaysian automotive company Proton since the bankruptcy of its former owner Romano Artioli in 1996. Sales of the British brand peaked at 90 units in August 2016. In June 2019, 52 new units had been sold

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Hyundai in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In December 2019, 3,801 new Hyundai cars had been sold. This company is one of the leading car brands in the UK.

This statistic represents the percentage of cars registered in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2019 according to their sales type. The share of new cars sold in fleets, i.e. in large numbers, dominates the sales types for the period in consideration. In 2019, 53.3 percent of the newly registered cars were fleet. Business sales presented a trend of decline throughout the years recorded, falling from 4.8 to 2.6 percent of new registrations.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Volvo in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In September 2019, around 8,800 new Volvo cars had been sold, an increase of roughly 4 percent in comparison to the same month the previous year.

Škoda's car sales came to around 4,900 units in the United Kingdom in December 2020. UK car sales nosedived amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The peaks seen in March and September are due to the issuing of new registration plates by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Global sales

Škoda's worldwide sales amounted to 900,000 units in 2020. This figure represents a decline of roughly 20 percent year-on-year. The Czech automobile brand was among Volkswagen's best-selling brands in 2020. China and Germany are the company's key target markets. More than 180,000 new Škoda passenger cars were registered in Germany in 2020.

Best-selling models

Škoda has reacted to a shift in consumer preference towards sport utility vehicles. In 2020, the most common Škoda model based on deliveries was the Škoda Karoq. The Karoq is a compact crossover sport utility vehicle. It started rolling off the assembly line in 2017.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Renault in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In September 2019, around 11,800 new Renault cars had been sold.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Smart in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In March 2019, around 1,000 new units had been sold.

Honda sold 2,796 cars in the United Kingdom (UK) in December 2019. The year as whole proved to be quite difficult for Honda's unit sales which were down about 16.5 percent compared to 2018. The busiest time of the year tended to be March and September, as those are the months when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency distribute new registration plates.

Worldwide sales

Honda had sold around 5.3 million cars worldwide in its 2019 fiscal year. This was very close to double the number at the beginning of the reporting period in 2002 and the highest number sold in any year.

Honda to leave European production market

At the beginning of 2019, Honda announced that it would close its Swindon located production plant, thus exiting the European manufacturing market. In 2018, it had produced 160,676 cars in its United Kingdom based plant.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Suzuki in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In September 2019, around 3,800 new Suzuki cars had been sold.

In 2023, there were 1.90 million new passenger cars registered in the United Kingdom. This was an 18 percent increase compared to the previous year. The UK new car market has recorded its best year since the pandemic. The growth in 2023, was attributed to fleet investment, as the supply constraints of the previous year faded, thereby facilitating the fulfillment of accumulated demand. . What consumers want The most important feature British consumers were looking for in their new car was fuel efficiency. According to a 2023 Statista survey, some 56 percent of respondents reported this characteristic to be of importance to them when deciding on a new purchase. Vehicle safety, suitability for everyday use, low price, and high driving comfort were the features rounding off the top five. Total number of licensed cars The overall number of licensed cars in Great Britain came close to 32.2 million units in 2022, which marked a full recovery from the dip recorded in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 31.9 million units were registered in Great Britain in 2019.

This statistic shows the monthly amount of cars sold by Kia in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 and December 2019. Peaks in registration numbers were recorded in March and September of each year, which was due to the issuing of license plates by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in those months. In July 2019, 7,115 new Kia cars had been sold.

This statistic shows the number of cars sold by Chevrolet in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2016 to December 2019. In 2013, the brand was withdrawn from Europe. Buyers are still able to import vehicles via the United States, including the 62 units registered in 2019.

In 2024, the ranking of the world’s largest car brands was topped by Toyota with a market share of around **** percent. The Toyota brand is owned by Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation, the world's largest motor vehicle manufacturer. New trends in the auto industry In light of growing environmental awareness and increasing efforts to connect vehicles, automotive manufacturers are faced with a variety of new challenges. Market trends such as the shift to lighter materials, as well as the trend towards electric and autonomous vehicles are set to revolutionize the industry. Palo Alto-based Tesla Motors is currently among those at the vanguard of the trend towards electrification, along with the Chinese car manufacturer BYD. Tesla delivered nearly **** million vehicles in 2024, meaning that Volkswagen Group's sales tally is over **** times as much. The state of the global auto industry Car sales worldwide have dipped between 2019 and 2020 as a result of the economic downturn generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 sales recovered, despite remaining below 2019 levels, but supply chain shortages led to a slow recovery of sales in 2022. By the end of 2023, the global car sales volume had grown over pre-pandemic levels. China was the largest automobile market based on new passenger car registrations, recording close to **** million units sold. It was followed by the United States and Europe. China was also the leading passenger car producing country in 2024.

This statistic shows the monthly number of cars sold by Peugeot in the United Kingdom (UK) between July 2014 and December 2019. Peugeot is part of the French PSA Peugeot Citroen Group. Throughout all months recorded here, the company sales tended to spike in March and September of each year as these were the two months when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency released new registration plates. In september 2019, Peugeot sold 10,918 cars in the UK, a slight decrease in comparison to the same month of the previous year.