The best-selling cars in the UK: Ford Puma leaps into the lead

2024 was quite the year for the car industry. New car registrations increased by 2.6% compared with the year before, while the Ford Puma was crowned the best-seller.

The Blue Oval’s small SUV topped the charts for the second consecutive year, and it's back at the top once again, three months into 2025. 

Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that cars sales improved year on year in March, rising 12.4% to 357,103.

It was the best March for new car registration since 2019. EV sales also increased by a healthy 43.2%. 

But which are the top 10 best-selling cars of the year so far? Keep reading to find out, with data directly from the SMMT. 

The best-selling car of 2024 had a slow start to this year, but a strong March performance pushed the compact crossover back to the top spot. 

The Puma appeals because it's engaging to drive and attractively priced, plus it offers the option of a hot Puma ST variant.

Perhaps the impending arrival of the electric Ford Puma Gen-E will give it an additional boost. 

Read our Ford Puma review

The Kia Sportage finished fourth in the 2024 sales charts, and we suspect the people of Seoul will be thrilled to see the SUV float around the top three spots again. 

Consistency is the key to this family SUV. It entered its fifth generation at the tail end of 2022 and still looks fresh, eye-catching and modern.

Its mild-hybrid, full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains ensure a great variety for buyers, too.

Read our Kia Sportage review

The Nissan Qashqai was the UK's best-seller in 2022, but it has since been outpaced by rivals, finishing second in 2023 and third in 2024.

That said, it's still extremely popular and continues to appeal to buyers here with its excellent practicality.

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Ford Puma

The driver's crossover returns with a new design and a much-needed tech lift - is it now the best in class?

The British-built family crossover's appeal has also no doubt been bolstered by the addition of electrified powertrains for its third generation. 

Read our Nissan Qashqai review

The sales figures for the evergreen Vauxhall Corsa have been a bit up and down of late. It was the best-seller of 2021 but failed to place in the top 10 for 2024. So Vauxhall will be happy to have it performing well again.

A 2024 facelift and keen finance offers have given the supermini a real shot in the arm, and it's deserving of its place on the podium.

Today, the Corsa offers great value for money, with strong, economical powertrains and a pretty impressive roster of digital tech.

Read our Vauxhall Corsa review

The Volkswagen Golf isn’t quite as popular as it once was, but it’s still a top pick for drivers on the hunt for a good all-round family hatchback or estate. In fact, it has been slowly creeping its way back up the charts.

The German stalwart has been kept fresh with a wide-reaching technology update, a design revamp, a more powerful GTI hot hatch and a longer-range plug-in hybrid, so it could climb higher still. 

Read our Volkswagen Golf review 

The Nissan Juke remains a popular car among UK buyers, having finished 2024 in fourth place.

The small SUV went on sale with a brand-new design in 2020 and then a facelifted version arrived in the middle of 2023, along with hybrid power for the first time.

Read our Nissan Juke review

The MG HS offers class-leading value for money. Available with a petrol engine or as a more frugal plug-in hybrid, the HS comes with good levels of equipment as standard, including a 10.1in touchscreen, a 360deg parking camera and smartphone mirroring as standard. Its PHEV powertrain is the star of the show, offering 75 miles of electric-only driving. 

Read our MG HS review

Volkswagen's popular family SUV has long been one of its best sellers, and it's the brand's second model on this list after the Golf. 

A practical and versatile option, the Tiguan gets a wide range of powertrains, including petrols, diesels and plug-in hybrids. 

Standard equipment is good too, with a reversing camera, parking sensors, wireless smartphone mirroring and dual digital screens all basic equipment.  

Read our Volkswagen Tiguan review

MG's resurgence continues with the new ZS - the Chinese brand's second model in the best-sellers top 10. 

The ZS is currently available only as a hybrid, pairing a 101hp 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 134bhp electric motor.

It may not be the best to drive, but you will struggle to find a better value-for-money package on sale today. 

Read our MG ZS review

The Hyundai Tucson is one of the UK’s most popular SUVs and regularly appeared in the top 10 in 2024.

Arguably the most premium option in the top 10, it was renewed in 2021 with a fresh front end that featured a unique, eye-catching lighting arrangement.

Its plush interior and range of electrified powertrains are attractive propositions for many Brits.

Read our Hyundai Tucson review

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Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.

What's happened to Dacia? I thought we were keen buyers these days, or is that more in Europe?

Certainly the roads are full of Kia these days,must be a lot bought on finance.

Certainly the roads are full of Kia these days,must be a lot bought on finance.

I dont get your point, well over 90% of all cars are bought on finance.

Interesting article but it only paints a very superficial picture. Yes it's good for people to know the top 10 at macro level. But given all commercial dynamics that occurred in 2024 due to ZEV, economic headwinds, and and and, the OEMs behind these nameplates have pumped significant discounts to push volumes ie. in Motability channels, Fleets, LTR, rent-a-car, etc (& many more non-private channels). The top 10 is not a reflection of what those vehicles are. This info should not only be reserved to Business readers. 

The article is labelled top 10 sellers, it shows the top 10 sellers and reflects what gets registered numerical, a nice and simple statistic showing what cars sell the most.   It's one of the most commented articles on this website. 

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