The most popular car of 2012

The new car industry had a good year in 2012. But which models were the most popular?

The new car industry has made a significant comeback, according to data from The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

New car registrations rose by 5.32% to 2,044,609 over 2012 - up 103,356 on the previous year. This represents the most rapid rise since 2001.

In December alone, new registrations were up 3.67% at 123,557 units compared to 119,188 during the same month last year.

The new registrations in 2012 are the highest recorded since 2008 at the beginning of the economic downturn, but still nearly 15% below 2007 pre-recession levels.

Diesel cars took a record market share of 50.8%, outstripping petrol models despite the growing price gap at the pumps. Elsewhere new alternatively-fuelled car registrations rose by 9.4% to also achieve a new market high of 1.4%.

So which were the most popular makes of car over the past year?

Top-selling new motors

Here’s a rundown of the bestselling new cars of 2012:

Source: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

The Ford Fiesta retains the top position it’s held since 2009 with 109,265 units sold - up 13,153 on last year.

The Vauxhall Corsa takes the runner-up prize as the second most popular new car in 2012, shifting another Ford favourite, the Focus, down one place to third.

The Supermini class of cars, that includes the Fiesta and Corsa, continues to hold the most market share in the UK at 41.9%.

But how do these popular new cars stack up on price?

The cost of top-selling new motors

Here are the prices of a new basic model for each of the ten best-selling new cars from the table above:

*Starting price for the cheapest model as listed on the manufacturer’s website.

The Vauxhall Corsa 3-door represents the cheapest car in this group with a starting price of £9,495, while the Ford Fiesta Studio is a close second with a starting figure of £9,795.

Next a new VW Polo S starts from £10,490, followed by the Vauxhall Astra Hatchback which is available from £12,995 and the Ford Focus Studio which starts at £13,995.

The most expensive car on the list is the Mercedes C-Class; the Saloon model comes in at £26,270 when bought new. The BMW 3 Series is also costly, with prices starting from £23,180 for a Saloon.

Bestselling used cars

All of the data above is based on new cars. But as we all know, if you do buy new, the moment you drive the car away it loses value.

One way to avoid rapid depreciation is to buy a used car instead.

Experian regularly publishes a Used Car Sales Index detailing the number of second hand motors sold using DVLA data.

See if you can spot a trend in its compilation of the top ten best-selling used cars between July and September 2012:

*Sales for Q3 July-September 2012

As you can see six of the best-selling new cars feature in the best-selling used cars list.

The Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Vauxhall Astra again dominate the top four positions, with the Ford Focus coming out top in used cars sales.

A 2009 Ford Focus Studio can be found for around £8,000 second hand, which is just under half the price of a new model, so the savings are clear.

If you want to find out more about buying a second hand car read this article: How to get a cheap used car.

What’s your take?

Have your say on the results in the comment box below.

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