The fastest-selling, most popular cars of 2022 revealed
2022 was yet again another turbulent year for our industry as we continued to navigate our way through the easing of the pandemic whilst dealing with a cost-of-living crisis.
But despite these challenges, 2022 did have many bright spots for our industry. We’ve seen prices remain strong with strong demand and supply shortages leading to a record year for price changes with average prices rising by 19% year-on-year.
We also saw a suite of new and exciting models enter the market with many new EVs enticing those looking to make the switch to electric. On the sued side, we saw vehicles moving off forecourts far quicker than in the pre-pandemic market, with stock leaving forecourts taking 30 days (median) to leave forecourts last year compared to 32 days in 2019 and 2020.
But which vehicles proved to be the heroes of 2022 when it comes to speed of sale and popularity?
Victory for voltage when it came to speed of sale
For 2022, the all-electric Kia EV6 came out King of last year’s fastest-selling index, with nearly new models taking a mere 10 days (median) to leave forecourts.
2022 was a strong year for EVs when it came to speed of sale with five out of the top ten fastest-selling cars of 2022 were EVs with the IONIQ 5, BMW i4, Mercedes-Benz EQA and MG5 among the top ten fastest selling cars of 2022. In fact the top ten fastest selling EVs all performed particularly well in 2022, with all far below the overall median days to sell in 2022.
Affordability top of the chart when it comes to new EVs
Of all the new EVs stocked on our marketplace, none were more popular than the affordable MG ZS which beat out the likes of the Kia EV6 and Nissan Ariya to be 2022’s most popular new EV on Auto Trader.
The MG ZS and this year’s runner-up, the Ford Mustang MACH-E are the only two EVs to feature in the top ten most popular EV list each year since their launch, highlighting their enduring popularity as well as the challenge brands have in retaining an interest in their EV models.
German marques still grabbing buyer’s attention
When it comes to the most popular new and used cars it is the German brands that continue to hold onto their popularity among UK buyers with the Volkswagen Golf the most popular used car on our site and its Bavarian (and somewhat larger) cousin the BMW 3 series the most popular new car.
What does this mean for 2023?
Whilst these lists do provide some insight into what consumers are looking for when it comes to their next car, they only provide a high-level view. If you want to be able to access this data in real-time so that you can make stocking decisions and compare your performance to the overall and local market then you can. Simply head over to our Market Insight tool which puts our live market data at your fingertips, helping you make data-driven decisions throughout the year ahead.