Car sales between January and May of 2012 saw an increase of 2.6% compared to the same period last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. 868,166 cars have been registered so far this year, an impressive figure that was boosted by a big spike in car purchases in May of 2012, up 7.9% compared to May of the previous year.
Sales of petrol cars are trailing diesel cars fairly substantially, with 443,519 diesel sales and 412,502 petrol sales. Alternative fuel vehicles were up 31.8% compared to the same period last year – amounting to a modest 12,145 sales.
The top 10 most popular models of 2012 so far are as follows:
1. Ford Fiesta - year-to-date: 50,507 sales
2. Vauxhall Corsa - year-to-date: 38,347 sales
3. Ford Focus - year-to-date: 36,916 sales
4. Volkswagen Golf - year-to-date: 28,261 sales
5. Vauxhall Astra - year-to-date: 25,011 sales
As we can see, yet again the Ford Fiesta takes the top spot. The very first Fiesta appeared in 1976, and was originally built in Dagenham in the UK, Cologne in Germany and Valencia in Spain. By 1978 it edged out the Vauxhall Chevette as the UK’s best-selling ‘super-mini’, and has regularly appeared at on the top spot ever since. Reasons behind its success? Cost, styling and the fact that the Ford Fiesta is the kind of car that possibly doesn’t have you calling your car breakdown cover provider on a regular basis!
Breakdown Cover from 
