Dark
Light

Foreign cars on the UK car market. Which brands do British choose? What is the reason for the popularity of Japanese models among the British?

by
August 25, 2024

British people are quite selective when choosing cars. There is a whole questionnaire that includes about 66 criteria for evaluating cars. On its basis, we can conclude that the British evaluate cars primarily by quality and safety, design and comfort, price and fuel economy, as well as the cost and quality of service provided. Today we will talk about the car brands favoured in the UK and what role Japan plays in this.

What are the most popular cars in the UK in 2024?

Firstly a bit of sales statistics to start with. So, so far, 975,407 cars have been sold for 2024. When it comes to specific car brands, the absolute leader is cars from Ford. Brits do have a particular fondness for this brand (95,182 units sold), and especially for the Ford Puma model. Partly the popularity of such cars is due to the fact that the British like cars that run on diesel fuel. The second place went to Volkswagen cars (83,212 cars sold). Third place was taken by BMW (56,280 cars) and fourth place was taken by Audi (53,388 cars). Rounding out the top five is Vauxhall (52,808 cars sold), a subsidiary of General Motors focused on the British market.

However, the top five most popular brands do not show the entire state of the market. For example, in the top 10, the eighth place belongs to such a brand as Nissan, and the ninth place belongs to Toyota. Love for Japanese cars. To be fair, it’s worth noting that in 2015, the reliability rankings in Britain were led by Japanese brands such as Honda, Suzuki and Toyota. Also, if we dig deeper into history, we see that back in 1986, Nissan became the first Japanese manufacturer to open a British factory in Sunderland. A little later, in 1992, Toyota entered the market with a plant in Burnaston in Derbyshire, where the Avensis and Auris Hybrid models are now made. The latest most significant boom in Japanese car buying occurred in 2017. However, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to write off the Japanese, as they still have plenty to surprise us today. For example, cars like the Honda Civic Type R, which tops the rankings of the highest quality and most popular cars. Or Toyota Land Cruiser, which is still a guarantor of reliability. In addition, there is the Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition which represents the perfect balance between price and quality. In addition, if we think of the long-livers of the car industry, it is the Toyota Celica is popular among British. Its popularity is very eloquently illustrated by its history of 36 years.

Why is Toyota still in the top 10 in Britain?

In fact, the answer lies on the surface. Toyota is, first of all, reliability, which is so important to the British. In addition, the brand is renowned for its high quality and the use of innovative technologies. World statistics say that 80 per cent of the cars of this brand, which are about 20 years old, are still quietly driving around the world.