New car registration numbers published last week show that the market was down 5% in June 2019 compared to the same month last year.
It was a hot month for hatches, with nine of the top ten models being entirely or predominantly of a hatchback body style. Only one SUV/crossover model, the Nissan Qashqai, featured in the running, while no saloon models featured at all this month.
June was a good month for Dacia, Lotus, MG, Toyota and Volvo, who all saw growth of at least 10% compared to the same month last year. Meanwhile, things were not so rosy for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, BMW, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Honda, Infiniti, Maserati, McLaren, Skoda, Smart, SsangYong, Suzuki, Vauxhall and Volkswagen, who all saw double-digit declines compared to the same month last year.
Check out our report on the registration numbers: New car sales down 5% in June.
Despite the overall theme being another month of falling sales, there are still plenty of popular cars flying out of new car showrooms. Here are the ten best-selling cars for June 2019.
Ten best-selling cars – June 2019
1. Ford Fiesta
Seasons change, governments rise and fall, another World Cup has come and gone, and still the Ford Fiesta reigns supreme at the top of the UK new car sales charts.
The Fiesta currently holds an Expert Rating of 85% in The Car Expert’s all-new New Car Ratings database, which compares reviews from across the UK motoring media. This is higher than any other car in the supermini class and also the highest rating in the top ten best-sellers list, so it seems that motoring journalists and the buying public are in agreement on the Fiesta’s qualities.
2. Vauxhall Corsa
The Vauxhall Corsa is in full run-out mode, and it appears that plenty of people are snapping up a deal as production of the current model comes to a halt later this year. Second place this month means that the Corsa solidifies its fourth-place position overall as we hit the halfway mark for 2019.
The Vauxhall Corsa holds an Expert Rating of 63%, which is one of the lowest scores among the Top Ten cars in The Car Expert’s New Car Rating database. The current model is due for replacement late this year or early next year, and Vauxhall dealers will be eager for the new Corsa to take the fight to the ever-dominant Ford Fiesta.
- Vauxhall Corsa (2014 – present) – ratings and reviews
- More Vauxhall news, reviews, features and offers
3. Mini hatch
The Mini hatch range bounced back from outside the top ten to claim third spot this month, which comes as a bit of a surprise. The Mini has been yo-yoing its way up and down the sales charts this year, and June’s good result has helped push it up one place to eighth in the year-to-date results after the first six months of 2019.
The Mini hatch holds a very solid score of 81% in our New Car Ratings aggregator, which is better than most cars in its class despite being older than many of its rivals.
4. Volkswagen Golf
The current generation of Golf may be reaching the end of its life, having been launched back in 2012, but it remains popular among UK buyers. The Golf is the country’s third most popular new car at the halfway point of 2019, right behind its arch-rival, the Ford Focus.
The Volkswagen Golf holds an Expert rating of 84% in The Car Expert’s New Car Ratings database, so it’s popular with journos as well as buyers.
- Volkswagen Golf (2012 – present) – reviews and ratings
- More Volkswagen news, reviews, features and offers
5. Ford Focus
The Ford Focus slipped back from second to fifth place this month, narrowly pipped for fourth by the Volkswagen Golf (by just over 20 cars). It still holds second place in the overall year-to-date standings, basically maintaining its margin over the Golf in third.
The Focus currently holds an Expert Rating of 82% in our New Car Ratings database, and was also listed by safety gurus Thatcham Research as one of the ten safest cars for 2019.
6. Nissan Qashqai
The Qashqai wasn’t the most popular British-built new car in Britain for a change in June, with that honour going to the Mini hatch. However, it was the only SUV/crossover model to feature in this month’s top ten, as small to mid-size hatchbacks dominated the sales tables.
A decade ago, the original Qashqai almost had the compact SUV/crossover market all to itself. Today, it’s the fastest-growing segment in the new car market. Despite this, the current Qashqai continues to see of every new challenger – despite being one of the oldest models in the sector, having being launched in 2014.
The Nissan Qashqai currently holds an Expert Rating of 74% in our New Car Ratings database, which is midfield for the compact crossover segment and in the bottom half of scores for a Top Ten-selling car.
7. Toyota Yaris
Another re-entry this month was the Toyota Yaris supermini, which was also the only hybrid vehicle in the top ten. Seventh place meant it outsold the Volkswagen Polo and also crept back up to tenth place in the overall year-to-date figures as we reached the halfway mark for the year.
The Toyota Yaris currently has an Expert Rating of 68% in our New Car Ratings database, which is below average for both the top ten club and compared to the best performers in its class. However, it remains the only hybrid supermini currently on sale.
8. Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo was up one spot to eighth in May, although it’s still fairly comfortable in seventh position in year-to-date registrations as 2019 reaches half-time.
The Polo holds an Expert Rating of 79% in The Car Expert’s New Car Ratings calculator, which is good but a fair way behind the class-leading Ford Fiesta.
- Volkswagen Polo (2017 – present) – ratings and reviews
- More Volkswagen news, reviews, features and offers
9. BMW 1 Series
Another model in run-out mode is the BMW 1 Series, with the existing model due to make way shortly for its all-new replacement from about September. The current model is now out of production, so BMW dealers will be clearing out their stocks of whatever’s left. This will probably mean that sales start to fall off rapidly as they run out of vehicles, so this could be the last time we see the current-generation 1 Series in the top ten.
The current BMW 1 Series still holds a reasonably strong Expert Rating of 77% in our New Car Ratings aggregator, which is not too shabby for a model that was launched back in 2011.
10. Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Still in the top ten, but falling back to the bottom of the table in June, is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. It’s a sign of how popular the car is that tenth place in the sales charts will be considered a disappointment for Mercedes management.
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class has an Expert rating of 78% in The Car Expert’s New Car Rating system. The overall score is dragged down somewhat by lower ratings from a couple of performance car titles (Evo and Top Gear), otherwise it would be a solid 80% or more.
