Sales of new motors remained at almost 20-year lows with a fraction less than 1.65 million passenger cars entering the market in a 'desperately disappointing' 2021 for the motor sector, according to industry bosses.
This came as vehicle production was crippled by the semiconductor chip shortage and that heavily influenced a major shake-up of Britain's most popular new cars, with Ford's Fiesta knocked off its perch for the first time in 12 years and Vauxhall's Corsa becoming the top seller.
Tesla's £42,500 Tesla Model 3 was the second most popular new car in 2021 with almost 35,000 registrations, propelling it up the order from the fourteenth best-selling motor in 2020.
But forget cars, it was the Ford Transit Custom mercedes mini van that was the vehicle sold in highest numbers.
Annual car sales were a mere one percentage point higher than a lockdown-hit 2020 - in which showrooms were forced to close for months - making it the second worst year for registrations since 1992, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders confirmed this morning.
With manufacturers facing significant part supply issues and forced to make tactical decisions around priority of production - and consumers buying an increasing number of electric and hybrid vehicles - the list of the UK's best-selling models of 2021 looks drastically different to how it did before the pandemic.
Here's a rundown of the top 10 most-registered new cars last year...
10.
Toyota Yaris
2021 registrations: 27,415
2020 ranking: 15th (up 5 places)
The Yaris picked up a number of awards in 2021.
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