After a turbulent 2019, car makers might have been hoping the UK market would level out in 2020. Sadly, it wasn't to be.
In January, new car registrations were down by more than seven percent compared with the same month 2019, despite the increased demand for hybrid and electric cars. And then the coronavirus pandemic saw factories close their doors and dealers suspend traditional sales operations.
All of which meant sales almost halved in March, then fell by more than 97 percent in April. Add in a second round of lockdowns in the autumn and 2020 has so far seen the market slump by just under 30 percent. But there are some signs that a recovery is on the cards, with massive growth in the uptake of electric vehicles and increased demand for hybrids, too.
So what exactly were we buying in 2020? Well, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) collects data on such things, and we’ve taken the year-to-date numbers for a 2020 that's finally behind us to produce this top 10.
All registration figures are correct as of the end of December 2020, based on figures from the SMMT.
Click on the photo at the top of the page for the full list.
