Peter Vosper: Why is Ford Fiesta still Britain's top used car?

Although it is no longer available as a new vehicle following Ford’s unbelievable decision to halt production of this century’s best-selling new car, the Ford Fiesta is still the car we want most.

With new car sales struggling since Covid and a cost-of-living crisis it is not surprising that used car sales have risen for 11 consecutive quarters, including Q3 of 2025 when over two million used cars were sold, making it the best Q3 number since 2021. The used supermini market grew by 18% to account for 32% of all sales with the Ford Fiesta still the best seller followed by the Vauxhall Corsa and the Volkswagen Golf.

With drivers trying to hold costs, the average age of the UK’s vehicle parc now stands at 9.5 years – up from 5 years in 2019 – although 5% of used car sales were for cars under 1 year old, many coming from the Employee Car Ownership Scheme, which is expected to be scrapped.

Mike Hawes of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said, “With used EV uptake at a record high, a robust used car market is essential for fleet renewal and helps make electrified mobility more accessible for more motorists. However, overall consumer choice and affordability are at risk if the government scraps Employee Car Ownership Scheme”.

The new car market was just 0.5% up in October and the new light commercial down by 15.1% as both businesses and private buyers waited to see what the budget would bring on the 26th November. The news in the past week has done nothing to help the government with their decisions. Inflation has remained steady, but the banks were not confident enough to reduce interest rates to stimulate business. If they had seen the unemployment numbers that followed, which have reached 5%, they may have made a different decision.

To add to the government’s problems, the big companies have made it clear that any increase in the minimum wage will have to be passed on in price rises and the idea to extend that to 18- to 21-year-olds would mean less apprenticeships, diminishing the opportunities for young people. If we need one thing that we all agree on, it is growth, and the general public need confidence about the future to spend and get the economy going again.

Encourage the young to start up their own businesses by giving them incentives and cutting regulation. Acknowledge small businesses are a vital part of all economies if we want to bring back the high street and encourage an alternative to the massive multinationals that do as they wish to minimise their tax bill.

What happened to the idea to add a tax to online sales which would bring additional revenue to the government’s coffers? Sales of cars to private buyers provide additional VAT income to the government and business needs efficient vehicles to cut their costs. With the right incentives the industry would deliver the extra electric powered vehicles to move towards net zero.