November 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

Clear and bright like a winter's day in Dover Denver, Colorado, is the obvious way in which the United Kingdom's new vehicle market bears no resemblance to the North American market. The Ford Fiesta is the UK's best-selling car this year, as it was last year, but in the United States, the Fiesta is the 72nd-best-selling vehicle.

Need more evidence? Consider the fact that three of the nameplates on this list of the UK's 10 best-selling cars in November aren't even available in North America. 

Ford UK also sells a three-door Fiesta but doesn't sell the ugly Fiesta sedan. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is still available as a wagon, or rather an estate, in the United Kingdom. 

All of these cars can (and regularly are) purchased with diesel powerplants. And of the seven nameplates on this list which are on sale in North America, only one is sold here with a diesel engine: the Volkswagen Golf.

Monthly & Yearly North American Ford Fiesta Sales Figures

Of course, the Golf, sales of which rose 5% to 5165 units in November, can be had in the UK with a 168-horsepower diesel. In North America, diesel bhp tops out at 140. The Golf is America's 90th-best-selling vehicle, trailing the Mini, Fiat 500, Dodge Challenger, BMW X5, and Toyota Venza. 

This list presents the 10 most popular cars in the United Kingdom from November 2012. Just as many of these cars posted huge year-over-year gains last month, the SMMT says the UK's overall market posted a 11.3% increase in November and is up 5.4% to 1.9 million sales through the first eleven months of 2012.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Focus	7495	+ 52.6%	77,850	+ 0.08%
#2	Ford Fiesta	7483	+ 20.8%	104,288	+ 15.0%
#3	Vauxhall Corsa	6164	+ 17.8%	84,924	+ 17.1%
#4	Volkswagen Golf	5165	+ 4.9%	59,465	+ 2.2%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	5032	+ 11.4%	57,911	+ 0.3%
#6	Nissan Qashqai	3403	+ 3.9%	42,835	+ 16.3%
#7	BMW 3-Series	3238	+ 11.7%	41,340	+ 2.8%
#8	BMW 1-Series	3135	n/a	31,292	n/a
#9	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	2901	+ 14.2%	35,328	n/a
#10	Mini	2787	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
* Mini refers to non-Countryman Minis. Mini UK sold 1637 Countrymans in November.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - December 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - October 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2011
UK Auto Sales By Brand - November 2012
America's 20 Best-Selling Cars - November 2012

October 2012 Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom

Many Of The UK's Best-Selling Cars
Are Also Available In North America.
This Passat Alltrack, However, Is Not.

Not mentioned in the table below because of lower October 2012 UK sales results are the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Fiat 500. Respectively, they are the United Kingdom's ninth and tenth-best-selling cars through the first ten months of 2012. The C-Class trails the Volkswagen Polo by 4512 units; the Fiat 500 trails the C-Class Benz by 3212 units.

At the top of the heap sits the still-surging Ford Fiesta. The SMMT says UK new vehicle sales are up 5% this year, but Fiesta sales have risen 14.6%. Vauxhall's Corsa sales growth has also outperformed the industry with a 17.1% gain, though Corsa sales slid slightly in October 2012.

No car recorded a better year-over-year improvement last month than the Vauxhall Corsa, sales of which jumped 38.3%. Astra sales remain off last year's pace, but October still stands as a bright spot. Sales of the Nissan Qashqai were up 27.9% in October and, among industry leaders, the Qashqai's year-over-year growth through ten months is tops. 

Both the Volkswagen Golf and Polo reported drops in October; both cars are down year-to-date, as well. Overall, however, the Volkswagen brand was up 11.3% in October and is up 3% this year. Ford remains the United Kingdom's best-selling brand, outselling Vauxhall by more than 47,000 sales and Volkswagen by nearly 85,000 sales, but the Blue Oval goes it alone. Volkswagen has in its fold a stable of brands, including the UK's fourth-best-selling brand, Audi. UK auto sales brand rankings for October and YTD will be published on GoodCarBadCar in the coming hours.

For now, get to know these 10 best sellers, 70% of which are available in some form on this side of the Atlantic.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	October 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	8058	+ 10.3%	96,805	+ 14.6%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	6285	- 0.2%	78,760	+ 17.1%
#3	Ford Focus	5834	+ 12.1%	70,355	- 3.5%
#4	Vauxhall Astra	5754	+ 38.3%	52,879	- 0.6%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	4158	- 5.5%	54,300	- 0.2%
#6	BMW 3-Series	3762	+ 2.7%	38,102	+ 2.1%
#7	Nissan Qashqai	3567	+ 27.9%	39,432	+ 17.5%
#8	BMW 1-Series	3029	n/a	n/a	n/a
#9	Mini	2970	n/a	n/a	n/a
#10	Volkswagen Polo	2952	- 10.2%	36,939	- 7.5%

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
Mini refers to non-Countryman sales. Mini sold 1295 Countrymans in the UK in October.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - September 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - October 2011
United Kingdom Auto Sales By Brand - October 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - October 2012

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - 2011 Year End

After winning every one of 2011's monthly races except January and February, which, as it happens, were won by the year end's second and fourth-place cars, the Ford Fiesta ended 2011 as the best-selling car in the United Kingdom. That's not surprising.

What is slightly surprising is the Fiesta's margin of victory. In 2010, the Fiesta beat the Vauxhall Astra by 22,367 sales. The Fiesta's victory over this year's second-place loser was "just" 14,280 units. That second-place car was the Fiesta's big brother, Ford's Focus. Sales of the Focus increased at a 5.2% clip in 2011, Fiesta sales slid 6.7%.

Further down the list you'll find one premium-badged car. In a year when the 3-Series had reached its maximum permitted age, UK sales were up 1.1%. The overall UK market, remember, shrunk 4.4% in 2011. Among cars in the top ten, Vauxhall nabbed the crown for worst year-over-year decline (the Astra, down 22%) and best year-over-year increase (the Insignia, up 24%).

These were the ten best-selling cars in the United Kingdom in 2011. Don't expect wholesale changes when the 2012 list breaks cover a year from now.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	2011	2010	% Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	96,112	103,013	- 6.7%
#2	Ford Focus	81,832	77,804	+ 5.2%
#3	Vauxhall Corsa	77,751	77,398	+ 0.5%
#4	Volkswagen Golf	63,368	58,116	+ 9.1%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	62,575	80,646	- 22.4%
#6	Vauxhall Insignia	46,324	37,281	+ 24.3%
#7	Volkswagen Polo	45,992	45,517	+ 1.0%
#8	BMW 3-Series	42,471	42,020	+ 1.1%
#9	Nissan Qashqai	39,406	39,048	+ 0.9%
#10	Mini	35,845	41,883	- 14.4%

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
Mini, as always on the UK list, refers to the non-Countryman Minis

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2012 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2010 Year End
UK Auto Sales By Brand - 2011 Year End

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - December 2011

Three Vauxhalls, two Fords, two Volkswagens, and single entries from Mini, Nissan, and Hyundai form the UK's best-selling cars list for December 2011. In all the time GoodCarBadCar's been tracking United Kingdom best sellers, no Hyundai has ever landed in the top 10. 

The i10 is Hyundai UK's smallest car, smaller than anything Hyundai offers in North America. The sixth-ranked Volkswagen Polo is smaller than anything Volkswagen offers in North America. The Vauxhall Corsa is a Chevrolet Sonic-sized car. And the Ford Fiesta is offered in three-door form in the UK, two fewer doors than Ford fits Fiestas with in North America. Even one of the bigger cars on this list, the Vauxhall Insignia, is no bigger than its twin, the Buick Regal. The Regal, you may recall, isn't a particularly big car by North American standards.

You get the picture - the most popular cars on the other side of the Atlantic are invariably small. Last month's version of this list, absent the Hyundai i10 and Vauxhall Insignia, can be viewed here. The Ford Fiesta was Britain's best-selling car in November, as well.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	December 2011	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	5411	+ 18.6%	96,112	- 6.7%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	5258	+ 11.0%	77,751	+ 0.5%
#3	Vauxhall Astra	4856	- 9.7%	62,575	- 22.4%
#4	Ford Focus	4047	+ 5.6%	81,832	+ 5.2%
#5	Volkswagen Golf	4031	+ 23.4%	63,368	+ 9.1%
#6	Volkswagen Polo	2742	- 26.4%	45,992	+ 1.0%
#7	Mini	2706	- 36.1%	35,845	- 14.4%
#8	Nissan Qashqai	2580	- 9.2%	39,406	+ 0.9%
#9	Vauxhall Insignia	2494	- 3.6%	46,324	n/a
#10	Hyundai i10	2411	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
Mini, as always on the UK list, refers to the non-Countryman Minis

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - December 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2011 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2010
UK Auto Sales By Brand - December 2011

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - November 2011

As per the norm, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car in the United Kingdom in November 2011. Fiesta sales were down 4.5% and are off last year's pace by 8% through eleven months. Its lead over its nearest November rival, the Vauxhall Corsa, was nearly 1000 units strong by the end of the month. Year-to-date, the Fiesta's lead over its big brother, the Ford Focus, expanded to nearly 13,000 units.

There are seven brands represented in the UK's 10 best-selling cars list this month. The Honda Jazz and Vauxhall Insignia, two of October's best-selling cars, fell off the list this month. Replacing the Jazz (Fit to you, North America) and Insignia (Buick Regal to you, North America) were BMW's Mini and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. This is the first month this year in which a Mercedes-Benz formed part of the UK best seller list.

With no Volkswagen Passat and no Insignia, no cars from the class North Americans call "midsize" - the D segment in Europe - cracked the top ten in November. Indeed, the two leading candidates are subcompacts. Also present are the similarly sized Volkswagen Polo and bite-size Mini. For the Mini Cooper to be one of America's best-selling cars in November 2011, Mini USA would have needed to more than quadruple the Cooper's monthly total.

Last month's version of this best seller list can be viewed here. Check out America's 20 best-selling cars from November at this link.

Rank	Car	November 2011	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	6195	- 4.5%	90,701	- 7.9%
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	5234	+ 42.1%	72,493	- 0.2%
#3	Volkswagen Golf	4924	- 5.7%	59,337	+ 8.2%
#4	Ford Focus	4910	- 11.3%	77,785	+ 4.9%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	4518	- 3.9%	57,719	- 23.3%
#6	Volkswagen Polo	3306	- 3.4%	43,250	+ 3.5%
#7	Nissan Qashqai	3274	+ 28.1%	36,826	+ 1.7%
#8	BMW 3-Series	2898	- 25.5%	40,212	+ 1.7%
#9	Mini *	2834	n/a	33,139	- 12.0%
#10	Mercedes-Benz  C-Class	2540	n/a	n/a	n/a

Source: Manufacturers, SMMT 
* Mini = the non-Countryman Minis

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - November 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - October 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - November 2010
UK Auto Sales By Brand - November 2011

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - February 2011

Showing significant improvements over February 2009, the UK new car market displayed signs of restoration in February 2011 despite a 7.7% drop from February of last year. The SMMT expects an uptick in motor vehicle sales in the latter half of the 2011, but we should expect declines in year-over-year figures over the next few months. February is not the ideal month for selling cars in Great Britain - just compare the best-selling car's total this month (the Golf's 2709) with the best-selling car's total from last month (the Focus's 7582) for evidence of that fact.

Most striking in the table below is the fact that half the list is made up of Vauxhalls. Two Vauxhall MPVs, the moderately size Zafira and small Meriva, hopped into the Top 10, a feat not seen since GoodCarBadCar.net began tracking UK Best Sellers. The family-sized Insignia, small Astra, and smaller Corsa built a track to the top, yet none could out-perform the interminable sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf. 

Ranked fifteenth in overall U.S. car volume in February, the Ford Focus isn't the force in America that it is in the United Kingdom. This could change when America's Focus is finally switched out for the updated Euro Focus that's remained a dominant force for Ford's UK success. The Ford Fiesta, last year's best-selling car in the UK, was not even among America's Top 20 Best-Selling Cars.

Rank	Car	Status	February 2011	Last Month	February 2010
#1	Volkswagen Golf	↑	2709	4110	2586
#2	Vauxhall Corsa	↑	2617	4363	2391
#3	Ford Focus	↓	2483	7582	3035
#4	Ford Fiesta	↓	2404	5844	3236
#5	Vauxhall Astra	↓	2036	4510	2524
#6	Vauxhall Insignia	↑	1842	2236	n/a
#7	Vauxhall Zafira	↑	1705	n/a	n/a
#8	Volkswagen Polo	↓	1570	3010	1900
T9	Nissan Qashqai	↑	1367	2108	n/a
T9	Vauxhall Meriva	↑	1367	n/a	n/a

*Source: MTI, SMMT

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - February 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - March 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2010 Year End
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - February 2011
New Vehicle Market Share By Brand In The UK - February 2011

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2011

New vehicle sales fell by 11.5% in January 2011, according to SMMT. This drop failed to affect the Ford Focus's 9% gain over January 2010, but one look at a popular car like the Volkswagen Polo shows the impact of the United Kingdom's scrappage scheme still in effect at this time last year. Polo sales dropped 47.3%.

The Good Car Guy is no expert on the UK auto market. Rather than attempt to go into detail about little-known situations, it's best if you make judgements for yourself from the table below. Two facts worth noting: the Fiesta was a dominant vehicle in the UK auto market last year. Its big brother obviously started off the year on firmer footing. Even in Canada, the part of North America we consider to be small car-loving, the Fiesta wasn't even one of the country's 20 most popular cars in January. Interestingly, the bigger Vauxhall and bigger Volkswagen also fared better than the Corsa and Polo. 

These are the 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom from January 2011.

Rank	Car	Status*	January 2011	Last Month	January 2010
#1	Ford Focus	↑	7582	3831	6953
#2	Ford Fiesta	↓	5844	4560	8885
#3	Vauxhall Astra	↓	4510	5377	5075
#4	Vauxhall Corsa	↔	4363	4737	5788
#5	Volkswagen Golf	↓	4110	3267	4388
#6	BMW 3-Series	↑	3184	2477	n/a
#7	Volkswagen Polo	↓	3010	3724	5707
#8	Vauxhall Insignia	↑	2236	2587	n/a
#9	Peugeot 207	↓	2171	n/a	3853
#10	Nissan Qashqai	↔	2108	2841	n/a

*Source: MTI, SMMT
* - Status compares to 2010 Year End Results


Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - February 2011
UK Auto Sales By Brand - January 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2010 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2010
UK New Vehicle Market Share By Brand - January 2011