Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and VW Golf the UK’s best-selling used cars in 2022

The Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and VW Golf were the best-selling used cars in the UK in 2022 in a market which fell by 8.5 per cent.

Car makers continue to struggle to get parts for new cars post-COvid which has led to a shortage of new cars available in the last year or two.

But a restricted number of new cars hitting the market also means a reduced supply of used cars hitting the used market too as owners hold on for longer for their new wheels than before.

That’s led to a completely bonkers used car market where ‘values’ are stratospheric, despite which the used car market in 2022 was only down by 8.5 per cent on 2021 and 13.2 per cent down on pre-Covid 2019. We’re surprised it’s not more.

One sector which did see a rise in sales was electric cars, but as more and more electric cars hit the used market that’s not exactly a shock, but with 71k sales, BEVs are just 1.0 per cent of used car sales.

The most popular used cars, however, remain much the same in 2022 as they were in 2021, with the Ford Fiesta the most popular followed by the Vauxhall Corsa, VW Golf, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra.

Mike Hawes, SMMT CEO, said:

While the market headlines are negative, and reflective of the squeeze on new car supply last year, record electrified vehicle uptake is a bright spot and demonstrates a growing appetite for these models. With new car registrations growth expected this year, more of the latest low and zero emission models should become available to second owners.