
These are the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK in 2023
After a shock front-runner emerged last month, normal order has been restored on the best-selling cars top 10 list...

Ford Fiesta - 3,345 registrations
The Ford Fiesta is approaching the end of its life with production set to end in June, but that hasn’t stopped it from clinging onto its place in the top 10 best-selling cars. We love the Fiesta for its handling, ease-of-use and general all-round brilliance: expect lots more people to take the plunge while they still can. Hurry while stocks last etc.
Advertisement - Page continues belowVauxhall Mokka - 3,479 registrations
The Vauxhall Mokka is one of the first cars to benefit from Vauxhall's new 'vizor'; that smart, black strip that houses the headlights at the front. Expect to see it on pretty much every new Vauxhall going forward. UK drivers must like it because they've been buying the Mokka by the thousand, despite its iffy ride, iffier interior plastics, and the fact that it sounds like a type of coffee. Wake up and smell the Mokka Electric if it's an EV you're after.
Kia Sportage - 3,671 registrations
If you’ve missed the last decade of automotive continental drift, first of all, welcome back. Second, the land has shifted rapidly and the most mainstream carmaker of all is now arguably Kia. Yup, that South Korean one. Makes a lot of good, affordable stuff across plenty of segments, including this Sportage. Just ignore the badge, it’s definitely ‘KIA’ and not ‘KN’.
Advertisement - Page continues belowKia Niro - 3,723 registrations
Another Kia, another top all-rounder. The latest model has moved up a notch in the styling ranks, and along with the impressive amount of kit on offer it’s more practical too. Will you be slinging this around a b-road? Of course not. This is a family car, after all, and no set of close relatives will thank you for driving on the door handles…
Hyundai Tucson - 3,787 registrations
Be honest, if that front headlight signature rolls up behind you on the motorway, you’re not going to mistake it for anything else. And while the looks aren’t for everyone, the fact that it’s spacious, drives well and features lots of tech has convinced thousands of drivers that this is the car for them. And fair do’s, it’s a very capable machine.
Ford Puma - 3,906 registrations
Although the Ford Fiesta’s time is almost up (sniff), the Ford Puma lives on. And this is a good thing because the latter is based on the former, and therefore has inherited most of the handling attributes that make us like the supermini. Hooray! Only this is a crossover, and much more popular as a result. There’s an ST version too, and we like ST versions at TopGear.com.
MG HS - 4,042 registrations
That’s right, the fourth best-selling car in the UK right now is the MG HS, a car so indistinct that we can’t think of anything to say about it. Other than that we wouldn't buy one ourselves. So here are some facts: prices start from £23,495, and there’s a plug-in hybrid variant available that’ll manage 32 miles of driving from a single charge of the battery. That costs from £31k, though you won’t find many PHEVs for less. The impact of the cost of living, perhaps?
Advertisement - Page continues belowNissan Qashqai - 4,318 registrations
Spotted a theme yet? Yes that’s it, the presence of many crossover/SUV things. The Qashqai is one of the founders of the genre, and now in its third generation it’s had more practice than most. It’s simple to drive and buyers trust the Nissan badge. Ride’s a bit stiff though. You can do better, although a big chunk of UK drivers have decided they can’t, actually. Pity.
Volkswagen T-Roc - 4,616 registrations
Usually we’d be lining up the Golf in the podium places, but it’s the T-Roc that’s proving the more popular pick at present. It’s a lot like the Golf in many ways. And taller. Though it’s also lumbered with VW Group’s dreadful infotainment system, which (we hope) goes some way to explaining the relative absence of the firm’s products on this list. Fix the touchscreen, and we’d be far more enamoured with it.
Advertisement - Page continues belowVauxhall Corsa - 5,243 registrations
The supermini segment is feeling the squeeze nowadays as demand shifts to crossovers and SUVs. But the Corsa staggers on. We say ‘staggers’ because it’s not the shining advert for the segment that we’d like it to be: sure it looks decent and ticks a lot of boxes, but the interior already looks old hat. And remember, this is a Peugeot underneath now, so no marks for originality.
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