We can't all be Elon Musk. Some would say that's a good thing, but few would deny that a bit of a financial buffer to help us deal with the spiralling cost of living would be very welcome. Energy is the big headache: as its cost increases, it drives up the price of most other essentials; everything gets more expensive to make and to transport.
We feel that energy inflation directly too. Our heating and cooking bills go up and the cost of filling our cars' tanks and batteries does the same. If only Newton's laws of gravity worked on prices...
But how does that cost awareness affect our car-buying choices? We're not data analysts but we did wonder if there were any obvious trends to be seen that might reflect the economic climate. We checked out the 2021 and 2022 rankings for the UK's best-selling cars and compared that list to rankings of the cheapest cars to buy and the cheapest to run. Would the UK's drivers let frugality steer their purchases? Or would the combination of personal preference, habit, fashion and brand loyalty prove a bigger influence? What do you think?
The figures
The figures for the best-selling cars and the cheapest new cars of 2021 and 2022 seem to be pretty clear, so we've relied on one respectable source for each of those. The figures for cheapest to run/cheapest to own are a little more dependent on the methodology used to arrive at results. There are many cheapest-to-run charts out there, and the lists are often very different, so we've gone with the chart from Auto Express, simply because we usually find them at least as reliable as anyone else, and often more so. As you can see, this whole exercise is probably not scientific, so we apologise to the professional statisticians and analysts amongst you, but it's an interesting diversion, nonetheless.
Here are the charts.
| Rank | UK top selling new cars 2021 | UK top selling new cars 2022 | Cheapest new cars to buy 2022 (Express and Star) | Cheapest to run (Auto Express) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vauxhall Corsa | Nissan Qashqai | Dacia Sandero | Citroen Ami |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | Vauxhall Corsa | MG3 | Kia Picanto |
| 3 | MINI | Tesla Model Y | Kia Picanto | Peugeot 2008 |
| 4 | Mercedes A-Class | Ford Puma | Hyundai i10 | Hyundai i10 |
| 5 | Volkswagen Polo | MINI | Dacia Sandero Stepway | Dacia Sandero |
| 6 | Volkswagen Golf | Kia Sportage | Citroen C3 | Citroen C3 |
| 7 | Nissan Qashqai | Hyundai Tucson | Volkswagen Up! | Toyota Aygo X |
| 8 | Ford Puma | Volkswagen Golf | Fiat Panda | Kia Rio |
| 9 | Kia Sportage | Ford Kuga | Fiat 500 | Dacia Duster |
| 10 | Toyota Yaris | Ford Fiesta | Dacia Duster | Suzuki Ignis |
What do we notice?
Well, most obviously, none of the top-sellers from 2021 or 2022 appear in the lists of cheapest to buy or run. On the face of it, that doesn't indicate economy as a primary consideration.
The Vauxhall Corsa was a top seller in both 2021 and 2022, yet it doesn't appear in any of our lists of cheapest to buy or run. It is, admittedly, a small car and so not amongst the most expensive but, in its class, there are less expensive options. The same is true of the MINI. The Ford Puma, Kia Sportage and VW Golf all appear in the top sales of 2021 and 2022.
Kia appears on all lists, so presumably there is no stigma attached to the brand in the way there once was with, for example, Skoda. However, the best-selling Kia Sportage is not the model that appears in both the cheapest to buy and cheapest to run tables. That honour goes to the Kia Picanto. The Kia Rio appears amongst the cheapest to run.
The Dacia Sandero makes an admirable showing in our two 'cheapest' tables and the name is one seen increasingly on British roads. Nevertheless, Dacia didn't make the best-sellers list for either year. Citroen also appears prominently in both 'cheapest' tables, yet didn't earn a presence amongst the best-sellers. Hyundai's story is similar.
What do we learn?
Kia is the only top-selling brand with a strong presence across the board, but the Kia model that appears in the top-seller charts isn't the most economical. Most of the brands selling affordable cars, and cars that are relatively inexpensive to run, are not top sellers in the great scheme of things.
As we said, this isn't scientific, but it certainly looks as if people have not yet reached the point where affordability becomes the overriding factor in their buying decisions.
What do you think?
Do you draw any conclusions of your own? Do you think it's even possible to see a meaningful pattern in such a sparse data set borrowed from assorted car magazines?
What do you drive? Is economy something you take into account when planning your car purchases?
Drop us an email or share your opinion on social media. Maybe this is something we can look at again.
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