- Industry data’s revealed which are the best-selling models of 2024 to date
- SUVs storm home triumphant, but a few smaller premium cars take their places
- Here’s the full list of the cars the UK can’t stop snapping up…
We’ve just hit the halfway mark on the year.
Despite the last six weeks disappearing in a whirlwind of election campaigning, people have still found the time to get themselves some shiny new wheels.
The best-selling new cars of 2024 to date have been confirmed by official industry figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders – and crossovers and mid-sized SUVs have stormed ahead taking seven of the top spots.
Here’s a rundown of the 10 most-bought new cars of this year so far…
The first entry into the top 10 – the Volkswagen T-Roc with 15,667 units sold
10. Volkswagen T-Roc- 15,667 units
Price: from £28,330
The first Volkswagen entrant in the top 10, the VW T-Roc establishes how popular small SUVs are at the moment with 15,667 sold so far this year.
The small SUV comes with a range of petrol and diesel engines, and the two lower trims both manage to slip under the £30,000 affordability mark.
With prices ranging from £28,330 up to £45,550 for the sporty R top trim, the T-Roc offers very good practicality and space compared to many rivals, and low running costs with stylish-enough more premium looks than some crossovers.
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16,182 Tucsons have been registered by June of this year, and last year the Tucson was the sixth best-selling model overall
9. Hyundai Tucson – 16,182 units
Price: from £32,000
Coming in at number nine, just a nose ahead of the VW T-Roc, is the Hyundai Tucson.
16,182 Tucsons have already been registered by June of this year, and last year it was the sixth best-selling model overall.
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This mid-sized SUV is bigger than the T-Roc and a bit more expensive, but it offers frugal hybrid mpg. Having a plug-in hybrid option available makes it a convenient buy for drivers who want benefit from zero emissions driving, but don’t want to commit to fully-electric just yet.
With five trims available, but even the most expensive keeping under the £40k mark (the Ultimate trim costs from £37,000) it won’t break the bank.
First launched in 2004, the Tucson is a firm staple on the UK’s best-selling list, finishing 2023 as the UK’s sixth-best-selling model.
34,469 new Tucsons were sold last year, which means the Tucson is tracking just short of those sales figures for this year so far.
The eight best-selling car in the UK so far: Despite being a large SUV for all the family, the HS is incredibly cheap for a new car, costing just £24,030 for the entry-level SE trim
8. MG HS – 16,730 units
Price from: £24,030
MG’s resurgence continues, as the now Chinese-owned British legacy brand takes eighth spot in the best-selling cars of 2024 so far with the MG HS.
Despite being a large SUV for all the family, the HS is incredibly cheap for a new car, costing just £24,030 for the entry-level SE trim.
Even the top Trophy trim (there are only two trim levels) cost from just £26,530.
There’s a new HS coming next year, so that might prove to be even more popular.
The BMW 1 Series proves that Britain still has a taste for premium small cars, taking seventh place in the best-sellers list of the first sixth months of this year
7. BMW 1 Series – 17,587 units
Price from: £31,065
In seventh place at this half-year point is the BMW 1 Series, the first placing of a small car on the best-sellers list.
And it’s a new entry for this year, as the 1 Series didn’t make it into the 10 best-selling models last year.
Only three cars in the top 10 are not SUVs, with all those non-SUVs being hatchbacks. So, the 1 Series proves that Britain still has a taste for premium small cars.
Costing from £31,065, the BMW 1 Series is not a particularly affordable hatchback, but it offers buyers a cheaper entry point into a more luxurious marque.
The 1 Series remains popular for its high-level of infotainment, spaciousness and practicality, all while being an efficient and nifty daily driver. The fact that it’s selling so well this year proves that BMW changing it from a rear-wheel drive isn’t putting off new customers.
June marks the reappearance of the Golf on the best-sellers list for the first time since 2022. VW Golf outselling its similarly-sized BMW 1 Series rival by 1,449 units to claim spot number six
6. Volkswagen Golf – 19,036 units
Price from: £27,035
The first larger jump between standings is between seventh and sixth place, with the VW Golf outselling its similarly-sized BMW 1 Series rival by 1,449 units to claim spot number six.
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It marks the reappearance of the Golf on the best-sellers list for the first time since 2022.
216,558 Golfs were sold that year, when the entry-level car was a bit cheaper – it started at £25,610 back then.
Today, costing £4,000 less than the 1 Series, the Volkswagen Golf is a cheaper but still premium option for people wanting a small car.
The Golf has been a firm fixture on UK roads since the Mk1 in 1974, and its continued popularity is tribute to the car’s ability to look at home on any driveway.
It can hold its own next to pricier luxury models, and yet remains low key and practical, blending in with family wagons.
The Audi A3 is a firm favourite with the British public, taking fifth place this year so far and coming ninth last year. But its already outselling itself compared to last year, so expect it to finish high when 2024 wraps
5. Audi A3 – 19,209 units
Price from: £27,870
Making it into the top five by a hair is the Audi A3, with 19,209 units sold so far this year.
Last year the A3 came ninth overall, with 30,159 new cars sold in 2023. So, with almost 20,000 sold already this year, the A3 is on course to place higher than last year on the best-seller list.
This time last year, the A3 hadn’t broken into the top 10.
2024 saw the A3 have a light refresh with an updated exterior and an improved interior with more standard equipment.
And drivers are clearly enjoying the spruce up it’s had.
The Nissan Juke is having an even better year this year compared to last. Last year it took home sixth place, while this year it’s tracking in fourth place
4. Nissan Juke – 19,429 units
Price from: £23,000
In fourth place is the Nissan Juke, starting the trend of all of the top four best-selling cars being SUVs.
The first British-built car to make it into the top 10 best-sellers, the Juke is assembled at the Japanese manufacturer’s UK production plant in Sunderland.
Selling 19,429 units at the halfway point of 2024, the cheap and cheerful Juke is currently four places higher than 2023.
In 2023 the Juke collected 31,74 new registrations, and at this point last year it was in sixth place with 18,380 units sold.
The Nissan Qashqai – the car that can be credited with sparking the crossover craze – has been updated for 2024 with a fresh new look
3. Nissan Qashqai – 22,881 units
Price from: £30,135
it’s two in a row for Nissan. The Qashqai takes home bronze, with 22,881 units sold this year.
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Also produced in Nissan’s Sunderland facility, the Qashqai is a constant on the best-selling new cars list.
Last year it came second, while in 2022 the Qashqai was the best-selling new car in the UK, shifting more than 42,704 units.
Nissan can take a lot of credit for starting the SUV trend.
When Nissan launched the Qashqai in 2007 it defined a new compact crossover category that would offer car buyers versatility and practicality – roomier than a hatchback with a ride height more comparable to a 4×4, yet still nifty enough around town.
It went straight to number one on the best-sellers list in the UK, with over 100,000 units sold.
17 years later it’s still wildly popular in the UK.
2024 sees the Qashqai get a facelift, with a bolder exterior design, improved quality interior, revised safety assists and better connectivity thanks to built-in Google
In second place is the Kia Sportage, with almost 25,000 units sold. This year it’s miles ahead of where it was at this point in 2023, when it had only sold 18,057 units by June.
2. Kia Sportage – 24,881 units
Price from: £29,390
In second place is the Kia Sportage, with almost 25,000 units sold.
The Sportage is the South Korean manufacturers best-selling model globally, and it continues to have a very strong sales presence in the UK.
Last year it was the fourth best-selling model. And this year it’s miles ahead.
In June 2023 it had only sold 18,057 units by June.
Affordable, but crossing the line into premium on the higher trims, the Sportage looks good, has a great range of engines with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options and offers comfortability and impressive tech.
It’s a firm favourite in the UK for family practicality.
The Ford Puma is Britain’s best-selling car of the year so far. If it continues on this pace, the newly-updated model could end the year as the best-seller, making it two years in a row for the Puma
1. Ford Puma – 26,374 units
Price from: £27,575
The UK’s best-selling new cars of 2024 so far is…the Ford Puma.
It looks like, for a second year in a row, the Ford Puma will be Britain’s favourite new motor.
Last year 49, 591 new Pumas were sold, making it the top choice wheels in the UK.
Reintroduced in 2019, this year the Puma got a mid-cycle facelift with an upgraded interior, new tech and a revamped engine range.
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Taking the most popular spot despite being yet another crossover to grace the top 10, the Puma proves this body shape is not going out of style or favour with British car buyers any time soon.
Starting from £27,575, the Puma is almost £2k more expensive than 2023 when it cost £25,640 for the most basic trim.
Proving reincarnation can produce huge sales, the Puma of today is both a very cost-efficient, practical and reliable car, and a nostalgic pull on the heartstrings.
The original first-generation Puma of the 90s was a hugely popular, fun and affordable. Using Steve McQueen to advertise it was a marketing dream, with Ford shifting 133,000 Pumas over five year.
With 35,088 sold in 2022, 49,591 sold in 2023 and 26,374 already sold this year, the Puma could easily hit that again by the end of the year…
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