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Britain’s best-selling cars, August 2021

Ford Puma becomes the sixth different car to top the sales charts in eight months

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It was another topsy-turvy month for new car sales, with shortages of crucial computer chips mking life difficult for car manufacturers.

August is also traditionally one of the quiestest months of the year, ahead of new number plates in September, so some manufacturers may have preferred to hold back a bit in order to have more stock available next month.

Some manufacturers have been coping with the chip shortage better than others. The Volkswagen and Hyundai groups have so far maintained sales at or ahead of the overall market, as have Toyota and Lexus. Others have not have such a good time – Ford and Renault are both big brands that have been well off the pace by their own standards.

We’ve published our normal report on the monthly new car registration figures, with plenty of detail that you won’t find elsewhere. So let’s now look at the mixed-up top ten results for August 2021.


The UK’s top-selling cars, August 2021

1. Ford Puma

Ford Puma (2020 onwards) Expert Rating

The Ford Puma topped the charts in August, becoming the sixth different monthly sales champ in eight months of 2021 to date (only the Vauxhall Corsa has spent more than one month on top).

The Fiesta-based SUV’s success is coming at the direct expense of its hatchback sister, however, as the Fiesta endures its most challenging sales year in about a decade in looks ever-more likely to lose its tag as the UK’s best-selling car at the end of 2021.

Ford’s junior crossover has been popular with critics, currently holding a rating of 76% on our unique Expert Rating index. This has slipped a few points as a result of our algorithm update, but the Puma remains the highest-rated mainstream petrol small SUV, with only a couple of electric models and the more expensive Volvo XC40 ranked higher.

2. Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo (2018 onwards) Expert Rating

After topping the charts last month, it was another great month for the Volkswagen Polo to take second place in August. Once again, the Polo was helped by struggles for both the Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Fiesta, and presumbly some runout deals from Volkswagen Finance to help shift stock of the current model ahead of the updated Polo’s arrival in time for the September sales rush.

The Polo currently holds an Expert Rating of 76%, which makes it one of the top-rated small cars according to our industry-leading Expert Rating index.

3. Toyota Yaris

2020 Toyota Yaris review - front

Like the VW Polo, it was another great month for the Toyota Yaris in August despite dropping a place. Third in the best-sellers chart is still an excellent result for the Yaris and it retains eighth place in year-to-date registrations. However, September is a huge month so could turn everything on its head all over again.

The Yaris currently holds an overall score of 67% on our Expert Rating index, which has dropped from its previous rating of 76% since we updated our top-secret algorithm. This is a bigger fall than affected the Polo or Fiesta, but still keeps it four points above the Corsa.

4. Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage (2015 - 2021) - Expert Rating

Another fantastic result for another car in run-out mode. The current Kia Sportage has been around since 2015, and is set to be replaced by an all-new model before the end of 2021. The only downside for Kia was the the Volkswagen Polo had an even stronger month, so the Sportage has slipped back from sixth to seventh in year-to-date sales.

The Sportage currently holds an Expert Rating of 64% in our industry-leading Expert Ratings index, which has dropped three points from 67% as a result of our updated scoring system. That puts it firmly in the bottom half of the medium SUV sector, so Kia will hoping that its boldly styled replacment can improve on this score.

5. BMW 3 Series

BMW 3 Series (2019 onwards) – Expert Rating

The BMW 3 Series is back in the top ten for the second time in three months. Fifth place this month has seen it re-take ninth in year-to-date sales over the Nissan Qashqai.

The 3 Series currently rates two points better than the electric Tesla Model 3 in our Expert Rating index, and a long way ahead of other petrol/diesel/plug-in rivals from Audi, Mercedes and others. As of September 2021, it has an overall score of 85%, which is exceptionally high.

6. Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson (2021 onwards) – Expert Rating

The first new face in this month’s top ten is the all-new Hyundai Tucson. It edged out the Vauxhall Corsa for sixth place by a mere three units.

The new Tucson has drawn attention with its bold front-end styling, so it will be interesting to see if Hyundai can maintain this registration rate once we get into the big-sales month of September.

The Hyundai Tucson currently has an Expert Rating of 75%, which places it well in the top half of all of the medium SUV marketplace according to our industry-leading Expert Rating index.

7. Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate

Despite another poor month (although a lot better than last month, when it vanished from the top ten altogether), the Vauxhall Corsa has extended its year-to-date sales lead over the Ford Fiesta and looks ever-more likely to end the year as the UK’s most popular new car.

The petrol and diesel versions of the new Corsa currently hold an Expert Rating of 63% on our industry-leading Expert Rating index, as does the all-electric Corsa-e. That score puts it in the bottom half of the supermini class, suggesting that journalists are not as excited about the Corsa as customers seem to be.

8. Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta – Britain's best-selling car 2020

The Puma’s success at the top of the sales charts will be bittersweet for Ford executives, because it’s at least partly responsible for the 12-year reign of the Fiesta as the UK’s most popular new car coming to an imminent end.

Eighth place in August is actually one place better than the Fiesta managed in July, but it still lost ground to the Vauxhall Corsa. With only four months to go, Ford will need a herculean effort (and plenty of supply of stock) to close a near-3,000 unit gap to its Vauxhall rival.

The Fiesta currently holds an Expert Rating of 78% in The Car Expert’s unique Expert Rating index, which aggregates reviews from 25 of the UK’s top motoring websites, which makes it one of the very best small hatchbacks on sale.

9. Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatch – Britain's best-selling cars of 2020

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is another big-selling car that has run into sales problems over the last few months due to a lack of computer chips to supply vehicles.

Fortunately for Mercedes, the Volkswagen Golf performed even worse than than the A-Class, falling out of the top ten altogether. That means that the race for third place in overall 2021 new car sales is incredibly close, with the A-Class less than 300 units behind the Golf and less than 100 units ahead of the ever-improving Ford Puma.

The A-Class has an Expert Rating of 71% in The Car Expert’s unique aggregated Expert Rating index, which is a five-point drop as a result of our new calculations. It ranks highly for safety, winning awards from Euro NCAP, Thatcham and What Car? over the years for its protective qualities.

10. Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corolla (2019 onwards) Expert Rating

The British-built Toyota Corolla makes its top ten debut this month, giving Toyota two cars in the best-sellers list for the first time in a long, long time. Maybe ever? We honestly stopped looking through old data after about 30 seconds. If you know the answer, please feel free to berate our ignorance on social media, as our comments section is currently down due to technical issues.

This also makes the Corolla this month’s biggest-selling British-built car, as neither the Nissan Qashqai or the Mini hatch made the list. The Mini usually does well in September, however, so the Corolla’s glory may be short-lived.

The Toyota Corolla has an Expert Rating of 66% in The Car Expert’s unique aggregated Expert Rating index, which is a nine-point drop as a result of our new calculations.

The latest from The Car Expert

Stuart Masson
Stuart Massonhttps://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/
Stuart is the Editorial Director of our suite of sites: The Car Expert, The Van Expert and The Truck Expert. Originally from Australia, Stuart has had a passion for cars and the automotive industry for over thirty years. He spent a decade in automotive retail, and now works tirelessly to help car buyers by providing independent and impartial advice.