The Ford Puma has been crowned the UK’s best-selling new car for the second year running, as a late challenge from the Kia Sportage fell through in the final month of 2024.
According to data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the overall new car market shrank by 0.2% year-on-year in December, while the new electric car market grew by a huge 57% compared to the same month last year.
This comes as a number of manufacturers registered many new EVs to themselves rather than to real customers to meet the UK’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which required the car industry to ensure that at least 22% of all new cars sold in 2024 were battery-powered.
After winning the 2023 sales race, the Ford Puma small SUV has recorded yet another year of strong sales performance and takes top spot on the annual sales leaderboard once again.
The increasingly popular Kia Sportage SUV followed up several months of very consistent sales form with table-topping performances in the Autumn registration charts. By November, the sales gap between the Puma and Sportage had closed to less than 100 sales, but Kia’s hopes of taking 2024’s best-seller title were dashed in December, as the Sportage failed to make the top ten.
The Puma’s December registrations total was comfortably surpassed by the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, which took top and second spot in last month’s sales chart. With over 2,000 more December sales than the Puma, the Model Y has surged up the annual rankings to snatch fifth.
Mini will be pleased that its next-generation Cooper is picking up where its now-retired Mini hatch left off, and will be hoping its newest small car can carry this sales form into the new year, while several months of consistent registration number for the Volvo XC40 has seen the compact SUV take ninth in the final month of 2024, while the Audi A3 fails to keep its place in the top ten.
Volkswagen can be proud of its sales performance in 2024. The current market leader accounting for around 9% of all new car sales last year, the German brand has seen both its Golf and Polo models consistently compete and finish in the annual top ten.
- Read our monthly report: EV numbers surge as a flat year ends for new car sales
Top ten best-sellers chart, December 2024
| Rank | Brand | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 5,165 |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 3,477 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 3,371 |
| 4 | Mini Cooper | 3,245 |
| 5 | Ford Puma | 2,802 |
| 6 | MG ZS | 2,780 |
| 7 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2,712 |
| 8 | Volvo XC40 | 2,618 |
| 9 | Audi Q4 e-tron | 2,019 |
| 10 | Nissan Juke | 1,972 |
Top ten best-sellers chart, 2024 annual total
| Rank | Brand | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Puma | 48,340 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 47,163 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 42,418 |
| 4 | Nissan Juke | 34,454 |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 32,862 |
| 6 | Volkswagen Golf | 32,370 |
| 7 | Hyundai Tucson | 32,174 |
| 8 | MG HS | 30,207 |
| 9 | Volvo XC40 | 30,202 |
| 10 | Volkswagen Polo | 28,981 |
Britain’s best-selling cars of 2024
1. Ford Puma
The recently-facelifted Ford Puma has outsold cars of all shapes and sizes and was crowned Britain’s best-selling new car in 2024. Currently Ford’s most popular offering by a country mile, the Puma has become the model to beat. While the crossover recorded sixth and fifth place finishes in November and December, this was enough for the Ford to finish in the top spot for the second year running. Can the Puma hold on and take the best-selling title for its third consecutive year?
The Puma has received plenty of praise from the UK motoring media, and currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 71% on our unique Expert Rating Index.
2. Kia Sportage
Top after January, the Kia Sportage started 2024 in strong sales form, but fell behind the Puma after some inconsistent registration totals in Spring. The SUV found its form again in the Summer and Autumn, and though it was a hair’s breadth away from pole position with one month to go, a poor sales performance dashed Kia’s hopes in December. That said, second place is nothing to sneer at.
The new Kia Sportage currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 72% on our award-winning Expert Rating Index.
3. Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai remains one of the nation’s most popular cars, and while the SUV took top spot back in March, it lost ground to the top two after a couple of months of sales inconsistency. While the SUV could not close the sales gap to first and second, it comfortably held on to the final podium place, with around 8,000 more sales than the Juke in fourth.
The Qashqai is the current jewel in the crown of the British car manufacturing industry – designed in London, developed in the Midlands and built in Sunderland. It’s also the UK’s best-selling British-built car. On sale since Autumn 2021, the Qashqai holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 75%.
4. Nissan Juke
On sale since 2019, the UK-built Nissan Juke has established itself as a popular choice of British motorists in the last year, as a cheaper and more compact alternative to the bigger Qashqai.
While the compact crossover couldn’t quite match the sales numbers of its larger sibling throughout the year, it does come home in fourth position, which is another impressive sales feat for Nissan.
The Juke currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 68%. That puts it squarely in the middle of a crowded compact SUV class.
5. Tesla Model Y
The Tesla Model Y isn’t only the best-selling electric car in the UK – it’s the best-selling battery-powered car worldwide. That said, it consistently yo-yos in and out of the annual top ten sales chart – a testament to the fact that electric car sales still only account for 20% of the new car market at large. Nevertheless, an impressive first place finish in December’s sales leaderboard means that the Model Y moved up a huge four places to finish in a commendable fifth.
The Tesla Model Y currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 82%.
6. Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen was the UK’s most popular car manufacturer last year. That said none of the brand’s various models were regular top ten contenders. That has changed, as the Golf has established itself in the top ten, finishing in sixth. Leading the new Tiguan SUV and Polo hatchback which are also proving to be fairly popular, this hatch is currently Volkswagen’s best export in the UK.
The Volkswagen Golf currently holds an excellent New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 80%.
7. Hyundai Tucson
Re-appearing in the top ten following its recent facelift, the Hyundai Tucson SUV has re-established itself in the mid-table of the annual sales rankings once again, though a few months of languishing sales numbers caused by the launch of its facelift meant that the SUV finished around 15,000 sales behind the similar Kia Sportage. The SUV did not make the top ten in December, and fell one place as a result to finish seventh in the annual rankings.
The Hyundai Tucson currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 75%.
8. MG HS
Towards the bottom of the top ten the race was very tight, and the MG HS was able to take advantage, jumping up two places to seventh after a fifth place finish in the November leaderboard. The introduction of an all-new model has rejuvenated buyer interest, but the Tesla Model Y’s impressive sales numbers in December relegated the HS to an eighth place finish.
Launched in 2024, the second-generation MG HS currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of C, with a score of 65% in our revitalised Expert Rating Index.
9. Volvo XC40
A latecomer to the 2024 best-seller shortlist, the Volvo XC40 snatched ninth in 2024’s top ten as the race approached the finish line. A testament to how competitive the sales race was just outside the top ten, the XC40 was never a table-topper in 2024, but an eighth place finish in the December sales charts was enough for the Volvo to leap back into the top ten.
The Volvo XC40 currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 70%.
10. Volkswagen Polo
While it isn’t quite as popular in the UK as its larger Golf sibling, the Polo has picked up some fantastic sales form in the second half of this year – supplanting the T-Roc crossover in the process – and this sales form has now paid dividend. Luckily for Volkswagen, the Polo was able to hold on to tenth place despite its absence from the November and December sales leaderboards.
The Polo currently holds a solid New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 76% in our industry-leading Expert Rating Index.
That sums up the 2024 best-seller’s list – we will be back for 2025’s best-sellers race, starting with the January registrations results that will be published in the first week of February.
