The 12 ways Britain's new car buying tastes changed in a decade

Much can change in a decade – and that includes the world of motoring.

The last 10 years has seen a seismic shift for the industry, including the advent of mainstream electric cars, an infamous emissions cheating scandal, a boom in SUV sales and emergence of new brands from the US and China.

Throw into the mix a global pandemic that forced temporary closure of factories and resulted in a two-year parts supply shortage, and the automotive landscape looks dramatically different to how it did before.

But what impact has all this had on the cars Britons buy from showrooms?

Our analysis of registrations data looks at 12 ways buying habits and trends have developed between 2013 and 2023.

*On the image below, hover over the brand logos to see how annual sales for each popular manufacturer has changed over the course of a decade

1. Demise of diesel

The fall in demand for diesel cars has been well documented in recent years.

Since the diesel emissions cheating scandal hit front pages in 2015, sales of oil burners have gone into reverse.

This figures are also tempered by the fact many manufacturers are dramatically reducing – if not culling, like Volvo – their diesel engine options in showrooms.

And our comparison to a decade ago shows the dramatic impact it's had on diesel sales.

In 2013, 49.8 per cent [yes, half!] of all new cars registered were diesels. 

That was more than petrols (48.8 per cent) while 'alternative fuel vehicles' – both hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) combined – represented the remaining 1.4 per cent of sales 10 years ago.

Official registration figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that a mere 7.5 per cent of new car sales were diesels last year – that's fewer than one in 13 motors entering the road, down from one in two a decade earlier.

Despite the huge decline in diesel appetite, petrols retain at a similar market share as they did in 2013 as a consequence of a dramatic uptake of hybrids and EVs.

Unleaded-powered models made up 47.4 per cent of registrations last year, which is 1.4 percentage points down on a decade ago.

As such, the rise in greener vehicle sales means the average CO2 emission output for new cars has fallen by 15 per cent from 128.3g/km in 2013 to 108.9 last year. 

2. Brands that have disappeared, like Mitsubishi 

Checking back to 2013 registration data shows a number of brands that are no longer available in the UK for one reason or another.

The most notable disappearance is Mitsubishi, which in 2013 made up a fraction (0.4 per cent) of all registrations with a shade over 9,000 sales that year – which is almost on par with EV brand Polestar in terms of total units last year.

Mitsubishi left the UK market in 2020 as part of a cost-saving strategy that initially involved exiting Europe altogether. While it reversed that decision and has since streamlined its European presence to 17 markets, the UK isn't one of them.

Chrysler, Infiniti, Proton, Perodua and Saab (with just four registrations in 2013 having gone into administration two years earlier) are other manufacturers that appeared in the sales charts a decade ago but are no longer with us in Britain today.

Chevrolet is worth mentioning too.

Back in 2013, repurposed General Motors models – like the Aveo, Captiva, Spark and Trax – were on sale in the UK. With 11,600 registrations that year, it made up 0.5 per cent of the UK new car market.

In 2015, parent group GM chose to pull the brand from the UK high street due to a combination of factors, including challenging conditions, low sales and the decision to focus on other markets where the brand had stronger sales and growth potential.

Today, the UK arm of the US marque now only sells Britons the Corvette sports car – and it shifted 102 of them last term.

3. New kids on the block (it's not just Tesla)

The most obvious name on the UK car sales list that wasn't there a decade ago is Tesla, which officially didn't start offering EVs in Britain until 2014.

And many of the other new kids on the block are also EV brands, including the aforementioned Polestar, China's BYD and Great Wall Motor's Ora, as well as new US start-up Fisker.

A number of new spin-offs of existing manufacturers have also seen the market expand, with the likes of Citroen's luxury arm DS Automobiles, Alpine – the performance branch of Renault – and Seat's sister marque Cupra all emerging in the last 10 years.

The latter was the biggest seller of all the spin offs last year, with Cupra tallying an impressive 25,658 registrations, which is only marginally behind Seat (32,177). In fact, bosses said in 2023 that Cupra would likely replace the Seat brand before the end of the decade.

Genesis, a premium wing of Hyundai, is the latest spin-off example arriving in Britain in 2021. 

As such, there's a wider availability of brands across the UK's mainstream car market, rising from 41 makers in 2013 to 46 last year. More choice for us, so it seems...

4. UK new car market is no longer dominated by a select few brands

In 2013, three brands were dominating the UK new car market; Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. 

Motors sold by these three companies alone accounted for one in every three registrations (33.4 per cent) that year.

Fast forward a decade and the top three performers (VW, Ford and Audi) accounted for less than one in four (23.3 per cent) of UK sales by brand.

And the data shows that Ford's once stronghold on Britain's new car market has weakened.

Not only has it slipped behind VW in terms of sales volumes, its 13 per cent market share in 2013 was down to 7.5 per cent in 2023. 

Essentially, this is a decline from around one in eight new motors per year to one in 14 in the present day.

That's despite Ford's Puma being the nation's best-selling model last year.

The SMMT's data also shows that buyers are purchasing from a broader spectrum of brands.

In 2013, 22 makes had a market share of the UK market of 1 per cent of more; in 2023, this number grew to 26 manufacturers.

5. Small cars still the most commonly bought – but SUVs are closing the gap

Small cars remain the most popular across all vehicle types in the UK - as has been the case for a very long time.

However, SUVs are gradually closing the gap as more drivers switch to larger, high-riding models.

In 2013, official registrations data shows that two in five (39.5 per cent) of all new passenger cars entering the road were dinky city runarounds or superminis.

While they remain the most commonly purchased new cars today, their now represent just one in three (30.4 per cent) registrations.

This is because SUV are eating into their market dominance.

A decade ago, 'dual purpose' sports utility vehicles represented only 11 per cent of the market.

But a boom in demand in recent years has seen SUVs overtake family hatches to become the nation's second most popular car type, making up 28.6 per cent of all registrations.

Despite being surpassed by SUVs, medium-size hatchbacks, saloons and estates still gained headway in the breakdown of new cars bought in Britain, rising from a 26 per cent market share in 2013 to close to one in three (28.2 per cent) motors last year.  

In contrast, appetite for larger family models has gone into reverse, as has the market share for MPVs, executive and luxury saloons as well as sports cars.

6. The electrifying rebirth of MG (which now sells more cars in Britain than Skoda and Volvo)

The return of the MG badge to the British market is going great guns.

Having returned to the UK scene under SAIC Motor (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) ownership in 2011, MG Motor UK in 2013 had just its much-maligned MG6 saloon on sale in Britain - which explains its paltry 0.02 per cent market share that year.

But in recent years, the brand's EV transition has seen its popularity blossom.

Under Chinese ownership, the relaunched marque today predominantly sells budget-friendly electric models - and quite a lot of them at that.

The MG4 was Britain's second most popular new EV in 2023 with 21,715 sold. Only the Tesla Model Y was purchased in greater numbers last year (35,899).

As such, MG is the biggest mover in terms of increased market share in the last decade.

From being the 38th most popular brand a decade ago, last year it was the 11th overall, outselling the likes of Skoda, Peugeot, Land Rover, Volvo and Renault.

It even shifts more motors in Britain than Tesla.

With a market share of 4.27 per cent in 2023, it has increased its tyreprint in the UK by a staggering 19.094 per cent over a 10-year stint. That's the biggest rise across all brands over the period reviewed.

7. Dacia doubling its market share is further proof that we Britons love a bargain

Like MG, Dacia's recent growth is proof that us Britons love a bargain.

Our 10-year analysis of the UK new car market highlighted its significant rise in popularity. 

With the Romanian marque returning to the UK (under Renault's stewardship) in 2013, it took the sector by storm with its low-cost Sandero supermini and budget-friendly Duster SUV.

In its first year back on British soil, Dacia clocked up just over 17,100 registrations, taking a brand market share of 0.8 per cent in 2013.

Roll on 10 years, the release of new-generation Sanderos and Dusters - as well other models being added to the range, like the Jogger seven-seat estate - and the manufacturer has offloaded a quarter of a million of its vehicles to British buyers.

In 2023, 28,651 new Dacias entered the road, which is a stellar performance given the wider decline in registrations compared to a decade earlier.

What could be driving Dacia's success? Tightening budgets and reduced consumer spending in the recent cost-of-living crunch might have something to do with it. 

As such, Dacia has doubled its market share compared to 10 years ago, rising to 1.5 per cent in 2023.

8. Just two models from the best sellers list in 2013 appear in the 2023 order

Earlier, we mentioned that Ford's Puma was Britain's most bought new car in 2023.

It showcases the dramatic shift in the car market in recent years, with conventional family hatchbacks and saloon replaced at the top of the sales league table by a throng of compact crossovers and large SUVs.

In fact, so much has changed that just two models in the top 10 best sellers of 2013 appeared in the 2023 order. 

And that's not because those 2013 nameplates no longer exists.

Quite the contrary.

Every one of the most popular models from 10 years ago were still in showrooms last year, be it in later generations.

One exception to the rule from this year will be the Fiesta, with Ford culling production of Britain's most bought car of all time (and 2013's best seller) last summer, which should see dealer supplies emptied in 2024.

Only the Vauxhall Corsa and Nissan Qashqai appear in the two lists separated by 10 years.

Once market-dominating family hatches in 2013 - including the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Volkswagen Golf and BMW 1 Series - have slipped down the pecking order and out of the best sellers list. 

9. Porsches aren't that exclusive anymore

Porsche is undoubtedly still a premium brand today. But the marque is far less exclusive than it was a decade ago.

In 2013, the legendary German performance car maker represented just 0.4 per cent of the UK market with 8,260 registrations - the majority of which were its Cayenne SUV.

But roll forwards to 2023 and Porsche's model line-up has expanded - as has its sales volumes.

The arrival of the Macan has expanded Porsche's SUV range (while also lowering the entry price point) and the Taycan EV has broadened the brand's appeal to a greener audience.

As such, sales hit 24,241 units in 2023 - a marked growth of 194 per cent in a decade that saw more British motorists buy more Porsches than Fiats, Lexus and Jaguars.

Porsche's market share has risen by 250 per cent in a decade, climbing from just 0.36 per cent in 2013 to 1.27 per cent last term. Only MG has increased its footprint more in the last 10 years, the SMMT's data shows.

10. What's happened to Vauxhall?

Of all the former big players in the UK sales charts, Vauxhall's fall from grace could be considered the most dramatic of all.

Wind the clocks back a decade and it was the second biggest car maker in terms of vehicle sales, with the Astra duking it out at the top of the sales charts with the Corsa.

In 2013, it sold almost 260,000 cars - that meant more than one in ten (11.46 per cent) new models entering the road would have been Vauxhalls that year.

But it has suffered a monumental drop-off in popularity since.

In 2023, it has slipped behind Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Toyota and Kia in terms of outright registrations.

Last year, just one in 20 new cars were Griffin-badged motors, as Vauxhall's market share slipped to 5.28 per cent. And the latest-generation Astra is nowhere to be seen in the top 10 best selling models.

11. The rise of the Korean marques

Contrary to Vauxhall's poor recent form, Korean sister brands Hyundai and Kia have enjoyed big success in the last decade.

Already stamping their authority in Britain back in 2013, the pair have gone from strength to strength since, climbing their way up the rankings of the most popular brands among UK drivers.

Kia was the 12th best-selling manufacturer 10 years ago but has since jumped to sixth overall as it now has a greater share of the UK's new car market than Vauxhall.

Hyundai has experienced similar success, climbing from 11th spot in 2013 to 10th last year as it took hold of 4.6 per cent of the 2023 new car market. 

Both also had models in the top 10 best sellers list last year, with the Kia Sportage (fourth) and Hyundai Tucson (sixth) among the most ordered motors in 2023.

If there's one thing we know about Britain's car buying habits in recent times, it's that we're more than happy to be seen in a Korean-built motor. 

12. Some big European brands are losing their appeal

While Britain's are buying more Korean, Chinese and US-branded cars today than they did a decade ago, the same can't be said about a number of once popular European marques.

And, coincidentally, many of the biggest fallers fall under the same ownership banner of the enormous Stellantis Group.

The overarching automotive giant is the banner company for Vauxhall (since buying it from General Motors in 2021) and its sister brands Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot - all of which have seen disappointing declines in UK sales over the decade.

Alfa is down the most with less than 1,500 registrations in 2023 (down from almost 5,700 in 2013) and a paltry UK market share of less than 0.1 per cent. It has fallen from Britain's 29th favourite brand to 35th. 

Fiat, which in 2013 represented one in fifty new motors, in 2023 has seen its footprint on the UK market halved (slipping from 14th to 27th in popularity), while Citroen (down from 10th to 20th) and Peugeot (down from 8th to 13th) have also seen big falls in market share as a result of fewer registrations today.