Experian names Ford Fiesta as UK's best-selling used car

(Ford)

The credit information company Experian has released its annual analysis of UK used car sales.

Traditional second-hand favourites dominate the listings, but the Ford Fiesta has narrowly overtaken the previous year's winner, the Vauxhall Corsa, to become Britain's most popular used car. About 286,000 used Fiestas were sold compared with some 278,000 Corsas.

2010 Pos, Make Model, Units sold in 2010, 2009 Pos, Units sold in 2009

1, FORD FIESTA, 285,962, 2, 288,828
2, VAUXHALL CORSA, 278,169, 1, 291,878
3, VAUXHALL ASTRA, 271,412, 3, 286,540
4, FORD FOCUS, 259,355, 4, 248,021
5, VOLKSWAGEN GOLF, 199,919, 5, 203,266
6, BMW 3 SERIES, 176,116, 6, 184,440
7, RENAULT CLIO, 166,559, 8, 177,726
8, FORD MONDEO, 164,904, 7, 181,224
9, VAUXHALL VECTRA, 133,511, 9, 167,215
10, PEUGEOT 206, 127,256, 10, 132,590
Source: Experian and the DVLA

Experian also named the most popular used cars in each of the main market segments; the Mazda MX-5 was the most popular sports car on the used market, while Land-Rover's Freelander was the most popular used SUV. The Toyota Prius was the most popular used dual-fuel car.

Segment, Number One Model, Units sold in 2010, Units sold in 2009

Dual Purpose/4X4, LAND ROVER FREELANDER, 51,374, 49,007
Executive, MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS, 61,533, 64,586
Lower Medium, VAUXHALL ASTRA, 271,412, 286,540
Luxury, BMW 7 SERIES, 6,839, 7,448
MPV, VAUXHALL ZAFIRA, 77,910, 81,218
Mini, DAEWOO MATIZ, 14,125, 14,593
Specialist Sports, MAZDA MX-5, 20,805, 17,760
Supermini, FORD FIESTA, 285,962, 288,828
Upper Medium, BMW 3 SERIES, 176116, 184,440
Source: Experian and the DVLA

The company attributes the high level of interest in smaller used cars to customers' demand for more fuel efficient vehicles.