MG Overtakes Vauxhall, Volkswagen Maintains Top Spot in Sales Last Year

Volkswagen took the crown in 2024 for the most new car registrations, leaving other brands trailing in its wake. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers made some serious moves, climbing the ranks and surpassing some long-established giants of the industry.

VW managed to sell an impressive 166,000 vehicles last year—at least, that’s what the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures indicate. Holding onto the top spot, the German brand showed no signs of slowing down. Their ever-popular Golf, which turned 50 in 2024, led the charge with a respectable 32,370 units sold across the UK. Not far behind, the Polo, prepping for its own 50th birthday in 2025, landed in tenth place for the year with 28,891 sales.

Jeep had an incredible year, seeing an astronomical sales boost of 192%—a real standout performance. Smart wasn’t too far behind, surging by 152.36%. Volvo was up by 32.33%. Renault and Nissan also performed strongly, with growths of 36.25% and 12.28%, respectively. Skoda and Peugeot chipped in with increases just north of 10%.

Premium German brands had mixed fortunes. BMW sold 125,265 cars, up by 12.11%. Mercedes-Benz wasn’t too shabby either, climbing 17.06% to 102,757 sales. Audi, however, stumbled, with a decline of 10.95%, totaling 122,431 vehicles.

Jaguar, though not the biggest player, posted an impressive 16.73% rise (16,617 units), while Land Rover clocked 61,000 sales—a jump of 14.8%. Ford and Vauxhall didn’t fare as well, both taking significant hits, down 23.68% and 21.43%, respectively.

Tesla crossed the 50,000 mark, cementing its position, but Polestar slipped by 30.69%. Meanwhile, BYD from China outperformed several rivals, moving over 8,700 units, while MG ended with 81,153, beating Vauxhall. Chinese newcomers Ora and Omoda made waves, too, with 1,162 and 3,629 sales.

The complete chart of car sales in 2024 is here.

Source and Image: Car Dealer Magazine