The battle for Britain’s best-selling car is mighty close as we enter the final months of the year, as the Kia Sportage finishes top in October’s monthly leaderboard, once again closing the sales gap to the leading Ford Puma.
According to data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the overall new car market shrank by 6% year-on-year in October, while new electric car sales were up 25% compared to the same month last year.
After winning the 2023 sales race, the Ford Puma small SUV has recorded yet another year of strong sales performance and continues to hold on to first in the annual leaderboard. But can it hold on to the top spot until the end?
The increasingly popular Kia Sportage SUV has followed up several months of very consistent sales form with a table-topping performances in September and October’s registration charts, closing in on the Puma’s lead with around 300 sales separating them.
Britain’s best-seller not long ago, the Nissan Qashqai family SUV holds on to third despite an unusually low eighth place finish in last month.
A fourth place sales finish in October was enough for the compact Volvo XC40 SUV to snatch tenth place in the annual chart with two months to go, as the all-electric Tesla Model Y drops out of the rankings.
Picking up where the now-retired Mini hatch left off, the new Mini Cooper was the third best-selling new car last month. While its probably too late for the small hatchback to challenge for a top ten position in the annual charts, this may be a sign of what is to come for Mini in the final months of 2024 and moving into 2025.
- Read our monthly report: EVs a bright spot in a slow month for new car sales in October
Top ten best-sellers chart, October 2024
| Rank | Brand | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kia Sportage | 4,533 |
| 2 | Ford Puma | 3,521 |
| 3 | Mini Cooper | 2,921 |
| 4 | Volvo XC40 | 2,675 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 2,477 |
| 6 | Ford Kuga | 2,428 |
| 7 | Toyota Yaris | 2,369 |
| 8 | Nissan Qashqai | 2,348 |
| 9 | MG HS | 2,299 |
| 10 | Peugeot 208 | 2,267 |
Britain’s best-selling cars of 2024
1. Ford Puma
The recently-facelifted Ford Puma outsold cars of all shapes and sizes and was crowned Britain’s best-selling new car in 2023. Currently Ford’s most popular offering by a country mile, the Puma has become the model to beat. While the crossover continued its sales form into October, its second place finish behind the Kia Sportage has cast a shadow of doubt over its lead. Can the Puma hold on and take the best-selling title for two years running?
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 after consistently closing the sales gap to the Puma month after month, the Sportage is one more solid month away from taking pole position in the annual leaderboard.
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 is now loosing ground to the top two after a couple of months of sales inconsistency. While the SUV may not be able to reach top spot at this point, it has a firm hold on third, with around 5,000 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.
Following a third place finish in the September rankings, the Juke was absent from the October leaderboard with the chasing Volkswagen Golf now only around 1,000 sales behind.
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. 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 looks set to change, as the Golf has established itself in the top ten. Leading the new Tiguan SUV and Polo hatchback which are also proving to be 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%.
6. Hyundai Tucson
Re-appearing in the top ten following its recent facelift, the Hyundai Tucson SUV looks likely to establish itself in the mid-table of the annual sales rankings once again, though it is unlikely to match the sales numbers of the similar Kia Sportage by the end of this year. It was also missing from the October top ten, but has a firm hold on sixth place in the annual table at this point in the year.
The Hyundai Tucson currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 75%.
7. Audi A3
A latecomer to the 2023 best-seller shortlist, the Audi A3 snatched ninth in last year’s top ten by a narrow margin as the race approached the finish line. The A3 is another model to carry its sales form into 2024, but its absence from the September top ten lead to the Audi falling one place to seventh. It was absent again in October, and if it continues in its current sales form it’s likely to slip further. The model was missing from the June, July and August top ten too.
The Audi A3 currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 70%.
8. 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 is now paying dividend. The small hatchback is now the eighth best-selling new car in the UK, but can it climb higher in the closing months of 2024?
The Polo currently holds a solid New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 76% in our industry-leading Expert Rating Index.
9. MG HS
Like last year, MG started 2024 in fine sales form, as its large HS SUV sat in fourth after January. The SUV doesn’t always post the most consistent sales numbers and has slid down the rankings in recent months.
While the introduction of an all-new model has rejuvenated buyer interest, and it has now moved up one place to ninth in the annual rankings, as the Tesla Model Y drops out of the top ten.
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.
10. Volvo XC40
The small Volvo XC40 SUV is an unfamiliar entry in the annual best-sellers list, but it has quietly been racking up good sales numbers this year, and has finally appeared in the top ten with two months of 2024 to go. The XC40 will need to continue this sales form if it stands a chance of keeping this tenth place position, as the sales race is very competitive just outside the top ten.
The Volvo XC40 currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 70%.
That sums up the October top ten – the November registration results will be announced in the first week of December. Check back soon!
