The country’s largest automotive marketplace for new and used vehicles has just published its latest tables of fastest selling cars. Auto Trader figures covering July reveal that the 2012 BMW 1 Series Petrol Auto was the quickest seller nationally, taking an average of just 17 days to turn. Overall, models in the national top ten sold in around 20 days. This was the same as in June, however their average price rose by more than £2,500.
The Vauxhall Insignia held a national top ten spot for the third month in a row. And regionally, the Nissan Qashqai continued to shine with model variants making the top ten in seven UK regions. London was a hotspot. 2012 Diesel and petrol Qashqai variants took the top two positions, turning in an average of just 12 days.
“Once again our figures show how quickly the market can change,” said Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Director, Retailer & Consumer Products. “Speed of sale is key and using market intelligence to complement experience can really help retailers keep one step ahead of the game – and help boost their profits.
“In June, for example, the average car turned in 52 days and last month that rose to 53. However for those using Auto Trader’s i-Control product to manage their forecourts, the average days in stock were cut in half. Last month best practice users reported an average 29 day turn for cars on their forecourts.”
Analysts at Auto Trader have also pointed to some interesting trends in the regional figures. In the South of England, for example, the top ten was dominated by BMW and Vauxhalls. The 3 Series took the first three positions, followed by the Insignia, Corsa and Zafira. Only the Passat from Volkswagen prevented a clean sweep for the German and American giants.
| Fastest selling used car in July – South of England | ||
| Model | Variant | |
| 1 | BMW 3 Series | 2012 BMW 3 Series Saloon Diesel Automatic |
| 2 | BMW 3 Series | 2012 BMW 3 Series Estate Diesel Manual |
| 3 | BMW 3 Series | 2014 BMW 3 Series Saloon Diesel Automatic |
| 4 | Vauxhall Insignia | 2011 Vauxhall Insignia Hatchback Diesel Manual |
| 5 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2009 Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback Petrol Manual |
| 6 | Vauxhall Zafira | 2012 Vauxhall Zafira MPV Petrol Manual |
| 7 | VW Passat | 2012 Volkswagen Passat Estate Diesel Manual |
| 8 | BMW 3 Series | 2011 BMW 3 Series Saloon Diesel Manual |
| 9 | Vauxhall Astra | 2011 Vauxhall Astra Hatchback Petrol Manual |
| 10 | BMW 1 Series | 2014 BMW 1 Series Hatchback Diesel Automatic |
Meanwhile, the top ten for the East Midlands was also noteworthy in July, but for its close alignment with the SMMT ten new car sales figures. In total nine of the top ten fastest selling model variants also figured in the new car best sellers’ table.
| Best selling new cars – July* | Fastest selling used cars July ** – East Midlands | ||
| 1 | Ford Fiesta | 1 | Volkswagen Golf (2014 Petrol) |
| 2 | Ford Focus | 2 | Ford Focus (2009 Petrol) |
| 3 | Vauxhall Corsa | 3 | Vauxhall Astra (2011 Petrol) |
| 4 | Volkswagen Golf | 4 | Audi A3 (2013 Diesel) |
| 5 | Nissan Qashqai | 5 | Ford Fiesta (2008 Petrol) |
| 6 | Audi A3 | 6 | Vauxhall Corsa (2008 Petrol) |
| 7 | Volkswagen Polo | 7 | Ford Fiesta (2013 Petrol) |
| 8 | Fiat 500 | 8 | Nissan Qashqai (2012 Petrol) |
| 9 | Vauxhall Astra | 9 | Ford Mondeo (2010 Diesel) |
| 10 | Mercedes-Benz C Class | 10 | Ford Focus (2013 Petrol) |
| *SMMT data | ** variant descriptions shortened for clarity |
