It’s safe to say 2021 was not the roaring return to form we all might have hoped for, and the car industry was no different. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed sales were up by just one percent compared with 2020.
That was partly down to continued coronavirus-related issues, including the lockdown during the early part of 2021, and the ongoing global semiconductor shortage. That has seen manufacturers struggle to fit microchips to their new cars, reducing supply dramatically. All of which contributed to the second-worst year for new car sales since 1992.
But records were broken for the right reasons, too. Electric vehicles (EVs) took a record share of the market and sales of hybrid cars were also high. Together, hybrid and electric cars now make up more than a quarter of all UK car sales.
And let's not forget, more than 1.6 million new cars were registered in 2021. That's a huge number, but the question remains: which cars are we Brits buying? Using data from the SMMT, we’ve pieced together a list of the 10 most popular new cars of 2021. So far.
See what made last year's top 10:
