Honest John Guides

Best-selling cars in the UK 2025

British car buyers' appetite for SUVs continued in 2024 with eight of them making the year's Top 10 best-sellers, headed overall by the Ford Puma.

For the second year in succession the Ford Puma was the UK's best-selling car in 2024.

Although the Kia Sportage had been running the Puma very close, availability dried-up towards the end of 2024 ahead of a major incoming facelift, leaving the Ford home and dry.

That 2024's best-selling car was an SUV shouldn't be a surprise given how common a sight on British roads these elevated cars are. Not only were eight of the 10 best-sellers SUVs, all of the top five were, indicating that a growing proportion of buyers appreciate their high-rise seating positions and additional practicality.

In 2024 1,952,778 cars were registered, representing a 2.6% increase over 2023's tally of 1,903,054 over the same period. While manufacturers would have hoped for higher sales volumes, 2024 was still the best year for new registrations this decade.

Petrol-engined cars continue to dominate with 52.2% of 2024's sales, although the 1,019,128 total represents a 4.4% decline over 2023's figures.

Electric cars had a 19.6% market share (381,970 sales) which was a 21.4% increase compared with 2023, making the UK the top market in Europe for pure EVs, overtaking Germany in the process.

Self-charging hybrids captured a 13.4% slice of the market (261,398 registrations) — a 9.6% rise over 2023.

After pure EVs, the largest growth was with plug-in hybrids — these enjoyed an 18.3% increase over 2023, totting-up 167,178 registrations for an 8.6% stake of the market.

Diesel's decline continued in the UK, with a 13.6% fall in sales compared with 2023, taking just 6.3% of 2024's registrations. That still represents 123,104 cars, so it's still worthwhile for manufacturers that sell diesels.

Read on to find out more about 2024's best-selling UK cars — and how highly we rate them.

Best-selling UK cars in 2024

  1. Ford Puma
  2. Kia Sportage
  3. Nissan Qashqai
  4. Nissan Juke
  5. Tesla Model Y
  6. Volkswagen Golf
  7. Hyundai Tucson
  8. MG HS
  9. Volvo XC40
  10. Volkswagen Polo

 

1. Ford Puma

48,340 registered

One of the best cars on sale full stop, not just one of the top small SUVs, the Ford Puma has a huge boot and excellent handling, making it practical and fun to drive. The mild hybrid 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine range is the perfect partner for the Puma's sportiness, while the comfortable cabin makes it great for urban jaunts and long motorway trips. No wonder it topped 2024's sales chart — and with the electric Ford Puma Gen-E now open for ordering, what's the betting it'll still be at the top in 2025?

Read the full Ford Puma review

2. Kia Sportage

47,163 registered

The current Kia Sportage is a distinctive looking, family-sized SUV — arguably even bolder than the Hyundai Tucson it shares its underpinnings and engines with. It's no longer a budget buy with a near-£30,000 starting price but you get masses of kit for your money backed by Kia's seven-year warranty. Mild, self-charging and plug-in petrol hybrids are available but there's no diesel alternative. The Kia Sportage is on the brink of receiving a significant mid-life facelift — expect to see plenty of them on the road in 2025.

Read the full Kia Sportage review

3. Nissan Qashqai

42,418 registered

The best-selling British-built car, the popular Nissan Qashqai was given a mid-life facelift in 2024 to keep it looking fresh-faced in the company of newer rivals. It's an effective family SUV with a comfortable, good quality interior peppered with practical touches and an enormous boot. There's no diesel option as the range consists of mild and self-charging hybrids — the latter, badged e-Power, operates in a way that maximises its battery power, making it a cost-effective plug-in hybrid alternative. 

Read the full Nissan Qashqai review

4. Nissan Juke

34,454 registered

Built alongside the Qashqai in the northeast of England, the Nissan Juke's styling remains distinctive but isn't as divisive as the original's, meaning its appeal's broader to the benefit of sales volumes. The Juke received a freshen-up in 2024 inside and out, although the engine range, shared with its Renault Captur cousin, remains essentially as before, with a choice of petrol or full-hybrid.

Read the full Nissan Juke review

5. Tesla Model Y

32,862 registered

Those curious to know whether Elon Musk's involvement with politics in the US — and further afield — let alone his management of the social medial platform formerly known as Twitter would have a detrimental effect on his car company's UK sales will note that the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car in December 2024, elevating it from ninth to fifth in 2024's overall sales. The popularity of this electric SUV is set to be bolstered further with the recent introduction of a seven-seater option ahead of an expected facelift in 2025 to bring the Model Y's styling more in line with the revised Tesla Model 3's looks. 

Read the full Tesla Model Y review

6. Volkswagen Golf

32,370 registered

Comfort, solidity and fine handling are long-standing Volkswagen Golf hallmarks, qualities amplified further thanks to its 2024 facelift which introduced interior improvements that have largely banished our previous gripes with the VW. The highest-selling non-SUV of 2024, the Golf's available with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, in addition to mild and plug-in hybrid options, while the even roomier Volkswagen Golf Estate caters for those who need more space. Underneath, the Golf continues to share hardware with the better-value SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia as well as the pricier Audi A3 and Cupra Leon.

Read the full Volkswagen Golf review

7. Hyundai Tucson

32,174 registered

Guess what? The Hyundai Tucson was another of 2024's best-sellers to receive a mid-life facelift during the year, although this one is far more sublte than the Nissan Qashqai's. You'll love or loathe the Tucson's styling, leaving the middle ground to be occupied by its corporate cousin, the mechanically identical Kia Sportage. As with the Kia, Hyundai no longer offers a diesel engine, meaning the propulsion choices are petrol-sipping mild, self-charging and plug-in hybrids. 

Read the full Hyundai Tucson review

8. MG HS

30,207 registered

Accounting for the vast majority of its sales tally was the first-generation MG HS but as the latest iteration, pictured above, went on sale in July 2024, the overall total will be a mixture of both — the newcomer was November's fifth best-seller. Both generations of MG HS are fitted with a choice of petrol-only and plug-in hybrid engines but key to its sales success is the enticing combination of a spacious interior, high levels of standard equipment and a seven-year warranty.

Read the full MG HS review

9. Volvo XC40

30,202 registered

Best-selling of the models sold by upmarket, premium-priced brands, the Volvo XC40 has dipped in and out of 2024's Top 10 sellers throughout the year. Despite Volvo paring-back the XC40's engine range to a couple of mild hybrid petrol options it seems British customers can't get enough of this compact, chunky SUV. Those seeking the fully electric version should note that during 2024 the previous XC40 Recharge models were renamed Volvo EX40.

Read the full Volvo XC40 review

10. Volkswagen Polo

28,981 registered

Sneaking into the Top 10 as the best-selling small hatchback of 2024, the Volkswagen Polo's resurgence will no doubt in part be due to the Ford Fiesta's demise — not everyone wants an SUV, however compact the Puma is. What's more surprising is that the Polo's selling so well considering that it's not only one of the older designs of small hatch, it's also one of the priciest. Unless you fancy the 2.0-litre 207PS Volkswagen Polo GTI, all of the five-door models have a 1.0-litre petrol in 80PS, 95PS and 115PS outputs.

Read the full Volkswagen Polo review

What were the UK's December 2024 best-selling cars?

Month-by-month sales often vary considerably from the year-to-date picture as illustrated by the registrations for December 2024:

  1. Tesla Model Y — 5165 registrations
  2. Tesla Model 3 — 3477 registrations
  3. Nissan Qashqai — 3371 registrations
  4. MINI Cooper — 3245 registrations
  5. Ford Puma — 2802 registrations
  6. MG ZS — 2780 registrations
  7. Vauxhall Corsa — 2712 registrations
  8. Volvo XC40 — 2618 registrations
  9. Audi Q4 e-tron — 2019 registrations
  10. Nissan Juke — 1972 registrations

What are the UK's best-selling cars over the last 50 years?

Over the past 50 years the variety of brands, models, shapes and sizes of cars to have been the UK's annual-best-seller is extraordinary. Which of these cars have played a part in your motoring history?

What is the UK's best-selling car of all time?

With 4,132,294 sales to its name, the Ford Fiesta is the most popular car in the UK. Of course, that's the total number of cars badged Fiesta over seven generations across six different decades: