The most popular used cars of 2023

Lucy Harley-McKeown
BRIDGEND, WALES - JUNE 05: A close-up of a Ford badge on a car at the Ford garage near the Bridgend engine plant on June 5, 2019 in Bridgend, Wales. Union sources have said the engine plant in Bridgend will close in September 2020. The British car industry is facing a series of difficulties including a fall in demand for diesel vehicles and a deteriorating sales trend in the Far East. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Ford topped the list of the most popular second hand car in 2023. (Matthew Horwood via Getty Images)

Data running up to the end of September, shows that out of the 1.8m used cars sold in the UK this year, the Ford Fiesta was the most popular option.

According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 235,611 units of this car were sold, over 50,000 more than the second place in the list. Ford Fiestas represent more than 16% of cars sold in 2023, if you total the sales of the 10 most popular models sold this year.

Ford Focus was also in demand, coming in at number four on the list.

Overall, up to Q3, there were almost 1.9m used cars sold across the first three quarters of 2023.

Volkswagen had two vehicles in the top 10 – its Golf and the Polo models both proved popular options.

Here's the top 10 list:

  • Ford Fiesta — 235,611

  • Vauxhall Corsa — 180,366

  • Volkswagen Golf — 174,044

  • Ford Focus — 171,344

  • Mini — 123,562

  • Vauxhall Astra — 123,456

  • BMW 3 Series — 120,419

  • Volkswagen Polo — 106,532

  • Nissan Qashqai — 92,114

  • Audi A3 — 91,201

Read more: The most searched companies of 2023

Volumes in each month of Q3 rose, SMMT said, with the strongest gain seen in September, up 6.3%, which helped the market deliver the best Q3 performance since 2021.

Reflecting an increase in supply, demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) doubled in the quarter, reaching a record market share as volumes rose by 99.9% to 34,021 units. The boost now means BEVs represent 1.8% of the used market, up from 1.0% last year.

The move reflects policy incentives by the government to transition from petrol to electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and hybrids (HEVs) also grew, up 34.6%, and 46.4% respectively – resulting in combined plug-ins increasing by 70.9% to comprise 2.8% of the market. Volumes for petrol and diesel cars, meanwhile, grew by 4.0% to 1,065,448 and 2.3% to 704,204 units respectively.

Watch: Morgan Stanley eyes Tesla's non-EV potentials in new note

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