UK new car buyers love a Mercedes-Benz but Ford is favourite when used

The nation’s preferred car brands have been revealed, with a new study showing which marques buyers flock to when looking for new and used cars.

Conducted by YouGov, the investigation utilised ‘Consideration’ scores from the polling firm’s BrandIndex and uncovered that Mercedes-Benz is the most popular brand among people considering the purchase of a new car. The survey looks at people who said they were considering buying a new car in the next 12 months and almost a third (32 per cent) favoured putting a car with a three-pointed star on their driveway.

Volkswagen is the next-most popular brand of choice for new car buyers, with 29 per cent of those surveyed considering a ‘people’s car’; not surprising, given two of VWs models – the Golf and T-Roc – make it onto the list of the UK’s top-selling cars so far this year. 

The third-place finisher in the ‘new’ category was BMW, a reflection of how those looking to buy a brand-new car appear to favour premium brands. This is highlighted further by Audi, Tesla and Porsche also making it into the top ten.

Ford was named the most popular brand for used car buyers, with as much as 41 per cent of those surveyed considering the Blue Oval for the second-hand purchase they plan to make within the next year. Ford, the maker of the UK’s current best-selling car, the Puma small SUV, is also a favourite with new buyers, being considered by 27 per cent of respondents in that part of the survey.

Volkswagen was once again the public’s second favourite, this time being on the shortlist for 38 per cent of used buyers. Toyota was the third-most popular used car brand, with a significant difference between the 38 per cent of buyers who favoured a pre-loved Toyota to the 26 per cent that thought about buying one new.

Which is your favourite car brand? Let us know in the comments...