UK Full Year 2024: Ford Puma repeats at #1 despite Kia Sportage push

January 7, 2025
Matt Gasnier

UK Kia Sportage sales are up 30.5% in 2024.

Discover almost 60 years of UK Historical Data here.

1,952,778 new cars hit UK roads in 2024, a small 2.6% year-on-year improvement. This is the best result in the past five years but still -15.5% below the 2,311,140 sales of pre-pandemic 2019, which itself was the weakest result in 6 years. Private sales fall -8.7% to 746,276 and 38.2% share vs. 43% in 2023 whereas fleet sales continue to excel and single handedly pull the whole market up at +11.8% to 1,163,855 and 59.6% share vs. 54.7% last year. Business sales are down -3.1% to 42,647 an 2.2% share vs. 2.3%.

Petrol sales edge down -4.4% to 1,019,128 and 52.2% share vs. 56% a year ago while diesel is down -13.6% to to 59,455 -27.4%. BEVs surge 21.4% to 381,970 and 19.6% share vs. 16.5% and reached 31% share in December, their highest since December 2022. The annual share however remains below the 22% mandated by the government. PHEV sales are up 18.3% to 167,178 and 8.6% share vs. 7.4% last year an HEVs gain 9.6% to 261,398 and 13.4% share vs. 12.5%.

It’s a fourth pole position in a row (and ever) for Volkswagen (+2.6%) holding onto its 2023 share at 8.5%. BMW (+12.1%) climbs up two spots to #2, displacing Audi (-10.9%) in difficulty. Kia (+4.2%) is also up two ranks to #4 whereas Ford (-23.7%) is in complete freefall at #5, without a doubt its lowest annual ranking ever. Similarly Vauxhall (-21.4%) craters to #11, its first time outside the Top 10. Mercedes (+17.1%), Nissan (+12.3%) and Hyundai (+5.4%) all beat the market in the remainder of the Top 10. MG (+0.3%) is stable and rewarded with its first stint among UK’s 10 most popular brand at #10. All newcomers are Chinese: Omoda at #33, Jaecoo at #47 and Skywell at #49.

The Ford Puma (-2.5%) remains in the best-selling spot but only won three months. The Kia Sportage (+30.5%) is catching up fast but has to contend with second place, despite having won no less than 6 months. The Nissan Qashqai (-2.1%) is down one spot on 2023 to #3, and won in March. At #4, the Nissan Juke (+8.5%) smashes its ranking record and distances the Tesla Model Y (-8.5%) staying at #5. The Model Y won in December. Excellent performances by the VW Polo (+15.5%), Volvo XC40 (+14.9%), VW Golf (+13.4%) and MG HS (+8.4%) all sliding into the Top 10. Not ranking among the 10 best-sellers, the Mini Cooper won in November.

The Ford Transit Custom is the most popular LCV in the UK in 2024.