The ultimate test of a vehicle’s popularity is its sales figure.
And if you’re a true petrolhead, this list might sometimes make depressing reading. But it is not all bad news. The top 50 cars include some of the least inspiring vehicles ever, but they also show that the cars enthusiasts are passionate about can sell in the huge numbers required to make it onto this list.
So while it is a little disappointing that the Corolla tops the list, the presence of cult icons like the Beetle and Golf in the top 10, goes a long way to redress the balance.
And the Escort’s entry reminds us of great variants like the Mexico, RS2000, XR3i, Cosworth. Incidentally the Escort sold 4,105,192 units in the UK, which makes it Britain’s best selling car ever.
You probably won’t be surprised to know that Flux have specialist schemes which would suit every car on this list, from classics, to american sports cars. From the tiniest Fiat to the largest Chrysler people carrier or Ford pickup. And there are not all that many car insurance brokers who can claim that.
| Car | Production | Dates
Toyota Corolla 32,000,000 | 1966- Ford F Series 30,000,000 | 1948- Volkswagen Golf 25,000,000 | 1974- Volkswagen Beetle 22,300,000 | 1938- Ford Escort 20,000,000 | ’68-2000 Honda Civic 16,700,000 | 1972- Ford Model T 16,500,000 | 1908-27 Volkswagen Passat 14,100,000 | 1973- Chevrolet Impala 14,000,000 | 1958- Ford Fiesta 12,500,000 | 1976- Opel | Vauxhall Corsa / Nova 12,000,000 | 1982- Oldsmobile Cutlass 11,900,000 | 1961-99 Chrysler Voyager 11,700,000 | 1984- Toyota Camry 10,500,000 | 1983- Mazda 323 10,480,000 | 63-2003 Opel Astra / Vauxhall Astra 10,000,000 | 1991- BMW 3 Series 9,800,000 | 1977- Fiat Uno 9,000,000 | 1983- Renault Clio 8,900,000 | 1991- Renault 5 8,800,000 | 1972-96 Ford Mustang 8,300,000 | 1964- Renault 4 8,150,000 | 1961-92 Honda Accord 8,100,000 | 1976- Fiat Punto 6,800,000 | 1993- Ford Taurus 6,750,000 | 1986- BMC / BL / Rover / BMW Mini 6,700,000 | 1959- Opel | Vauxhall Cavalier / Vectra 6,500,000 | 1988- Chevrolet Cavalier 6,200,000 | ’82-2005 Peugeot 206 6,100,000 | 1998- Buick LeSabre 6,000,000 | ’59-2005 Nissan Sunny 5,900,000 | 1966- Ford Explorer 5,700,000 | 1991- Mitsubishi Galant 5,550,000 | 1969- Ford Focus 5,500,000 | 1998- Ford Crown Victoria 5,500,000 | 1980- Toyota Land Cruiser 5,300,000 | 1953- Peugeot 205 5,278,000 | 1983-98 Ford E Series 5,200,000 | 1961- Ford Ranger 5,100,000 | ’83-2003 Chevrolet Camaro 4,800,000 | ’67-2002 Fiat 126 4,671,586 | ’73-2000 Opel Ascona / Vauxhall Cavalier 4,400,000 | 1970-88 Ford Model A 4,320,446 | 1927-31 Ford Cortina 4,279,079 | 1962-82 Pontiac Grand Am 4,000,000 | ’73-2005 Citroen 2CV 3,872,583 | 1948-90 Fiat 127 3,730,000 | 1971-83 Peugeot 5043,713,400 | ’68-2005 Fiat 500 3,600,000 | 1957- Peugeot 405 3,461,800 | 1988-97 |
Two notes about this list:
- I’ve put together the list in this format, because whilst I have found these figures online, for example at MSN cars, and the data is freely available via Wikipedia and others, I have not been able to find a handy to view table up to now.
- These figures are difficult to interpret, and should really be used as a rough indication. For example, models such as the Golf and Civic have changed to become almost unrecognisable now compared to the original model. Other cars have borne more than one name or marque. Then you have odd cases like the Vauxhall Cavalier, which in this table appears in two places, because someone has arbitrarily chosen the dividing point to be based on the Opel equivalent’s name change. Should the two entries be added together, conflating all Ascona, Cavalier and Vectra models? Should the three model names be counted separately, even where they are the same car? But if we’re allowing this, why shouldn’t the Focus be lumped in with the Escort it replaced? It just goes to show that lists like this are a minefield, but that makes them none the less interesting, and even in a dry ‘factual’ list like this, there is room for opinion and argument.