Most popular cars of 2024

British drivers bought just over 1.9m new cars in 2024, representing a small increase over 2023, electric cars accounting for nearly a fifth of that total as more and more people make the switch. Plug-in hybrid sales were also up by nearly a fifth, the increasing take-up of part- or fully-electric vehicles a positive sign as the industry gears up for a more sustainable future.
Other good news stories included Nissan’s British-built Qashqai and Juke both appearing in the top five of overall best-sellers, in a vindication of the brand’s investment in its Sunderland plant. A positive outlook on the face of it but behind the headlines it’s a bit more complicated, with even this increase in EV sales falling short of the 22 per cent required by the Government’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and only propped up by heavy discounting towards the end of the year as manufacturers shifted more EVs to hit the target. Factory closures and lay-offs are another worry extending beyond the UK and into the wider European car industry. Amid these challenges, though, there were some stand-out success stories and real winners…

While mainstream manufacturers still sell a lot of mid-size hatchbacks – the Golf is still VW’s most popular model and the related A3 is the same for Audi – SUVs and crossovers accounted for all the top five overall best-sellers and dominated the top 10. OK, this assumes you count cars like the Tesla Model Y and Ford Puma as crossovers even if the SMMT officially counts the latter as a supermini given its Fiesta roots. But the trend for taller, high-riding vehicles remains unstoppable and the second-placed Sportage accounted for over 40 per cent of Kia’s total while if you include the Niro and XCeed nearly two thirds of the brand’s overall sales are mid-size, C-segment crossovers or SUVs. The fact even older models like Volvo’s long-serving XC40 are still top 10 best-sellers simply proves the enduring popularity of this style of car.

Of all the German premium brands BMW can be happiest with its 2024 results, coming second overall to VW but with a much bigger increase in sales and a healthy lead over premium rival Audi. Thank a strong electrified line-up for that, BMW’s EV sales up by nearly a fifth and accounting for over a quarter of all the cars it sold. And well above the 22 per cent required by the ZEV mandate. It will need to improve that to hit the harder target for 2025 but things look to be going the right way, the i4 doing especially well even if it couldn’t quite match the Q4 e-tron. BMW’s wider – and fresher – electric product range meant, overall, it still beat Audi's electric to combustion split, which is arguably more important. BMW’s high-performance M products also did well, the M2 selling in healthy numbers given it’s a relatively old-school model with a big, powerful petrol engine. Something for fans of trad BMW values to cheer.

With the Sportage only just pipped to the top spot by the Ford Puma Kia can still be happy with its year while partner brand Hyundai also did well, with nearly a fifth of its sales taken by electric models and over half of them claimed by the Kona Electric. New models on the way like the affordable Inster supermini and premium Ioniq 9 seven-seater should cover all bases as Hyundai’s electric offering expands, both brands leveraging build quality and eye-catching design to fight off the growing challenge from Chinese brands.

By the standards of the Chinese manufacturers MG is now an old-player, this rebirth of a classic British name playing well with UK buyers and now rounding out the top 10 in overall sales. The popular MG4 plays a big part in that, bucking the trend for electric vehicles with its popularity among private buyers attracted by its affordable price. Overall, MG is already close to the higher 2025 target set down by the ZEV mandate, which puts it at an advantage over many other brands. But it won’t have the field to itself, with increasing numbers of Chinese rivals now joining it in the UK and alternatives from the likes of BYD, GWM, Omoda and many more set to increase choice at this more accessible end of the market.

Skodas always score in our reviews for their combination of value and practicality, the big Skoda Kodiaq SUV increasing sales by nearly a third with the introduction of a new version while the electric Enyaq was up by nearly a half with an updated version coming soon. The arrival this year of the more affordable Elroq can only strengthen Skoda’s electric offering, which bodes well for the year ahead.

With the ZEV mandate raising the bar for the electric sales to 28 per cent manufacturers are going to need to sell a lot more EVs. All well and good but the discount-driven spike in sales towards the end of 2024 is “unsustainable” according to industry body the SMMT, even if consumers are benefitting from lower prices in the short-term. Strong sales with fleet and business buyers shows the power of tax and other incentives to boost take-up but private buyers still favour petrol vehicles, and are actually buying proportionally fewer electric ones. While more affordable options are now hitting the market electric cars still look more expensive for private buyers, which is why the SMMT and industry it represents are pressing government to look again at levelling the playing field with incentives like a temporary reduction in VAT. More of the carrot, less of the stick to put it another way.