At the end of its sixth-generation model's tenure, Fiesta sales slid 10%, year-over-year, to 120,525 units. But that was still 56% more sales than the second-ranked Vauxhall Corsa, a direct Fiesta rival, managed to produce.
Ford's own Focus grabbed the final podium position. The Corsa was joined by its larger sibling, the Astra, in sixth place. There are also two Volkswagens on the list, along with individual contenders from Nissan, Mini, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2015 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2014 Year End
Overall auto sales grew 2.3% from 2015 levels, according to the SMMT, for a record-high 2,692,786-unit output. Diesel-powered new vehicles saw their market share fall by roughly one percentage point to 48%.
Ford, with 11.8 percent market share, produced 60% of its 318,316 sales with the Fiesta and Focus. That duo, together with Escort and Cortina predecessors, have earned top honours on the UK sales charts in 45 consecutive years.
Ford, operating as the Ford Motor Company's lone entity in the UK, was topped by the Volkswagen Group's 527,205 total sales. The VW Group owned 20% of the overall market.
Among brands with at least 1% market share, Jaguar's 45% growth rate was tops among auto brands operating in the UK in 2016.
These were the UK's ten best-selling vehicles in calendar year 2016.
Rank | Best-Selling Car | 2016 | 2015 | % Change |
#1 | Ford Fiesta | 120,525 | 133,434 | -9.7% |
#2 | Vauxhall Corsa | 77,110 | 92,077 | -16.3% |
#3 | Ford Focus | 70,545 | 83,816 | -15.8% |
#4 | Volkswagen Golf | 69,492 | 73,409 | -5.3% |
#5 | Nissan Qashqai | 62,682 | 60,814 | 3.1% |
#6 | Vauxhall Astra | 60,719 | 52,703 | 15.2% |
#7 | Volkswagen Polo | 54,448 | 54,900 | -0.8% |
#8 | Mini | 48,328 | 47,076 | 2.7% |
#9 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 44,184 | na | na |
#10 | Audi A3 | 43,808 | 47,653 | -8.1% |
