Step aside the Ford Fiesta - because the Vauxhall Corsa has overtaken it to become the UK’s best-selling car of 2021, according to new industry stats.
Up until now, the Ford Fiesta has been utterly dominant when it comes to new cars on our roads. When the Fiesta hatchback was crowned the UK’s most popular car this time last year, it marked the 12th year running it had scooped the coveted prize.
But now all that has changed. The Corsa ran the Fiesta really close in 2020 - and now new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have shown the Corsa has metaphorically dropped it into third, put its foot to the floor, and accelerated past the Fiesta. For the first time ever.
Paul Willcox, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said:
“The Vauxhall Corsa fully deserves to be back at the top of the UK sales charts as the nation’s favourite new car. Alongside its design, innovative technology and affordable pricing, a full choice of powertrain technologies has been very popular – with customers able to choose between the fully-electric Corsa-e or our efficient petrol and diesel engines.
“We’ve just enhanced the range of the Corsa-e and made it even more attainable so we’re confident that Corsa will continue to prove popular with UK buyers.”
The latest generation Vauxhall Corsa launched at the end of 2019 and is available with a fully electric powertrain and a choice of advanced and efficient petrol and diesel engines.
So, what’s the appeal for lease customers?
First and foremost, it’s affordable, with lease deals typically starting at around £185 per month. And when compared to the Fiesta, the Corsa really is a close match in the style stakes, combining ultra-modern, sharp lines with a sporty, youthful appeal.
A good way to compare the Fiesta with the Corsa is to look at how much equipment and tech you get with the bog-standard, entry level models.
With the Fiesta, its base ‘Trend’ trim gets you goodies like 16 inch alloys, selectable drive modes, an adjustable speed limiter, and lane-keeping aid with lane-keeping assist. That’s a heck of a lot for a car that starts at £16,645.
The base Corsa, meanwhile, is ever so slightly more expensive, beginning at just £17,380 and first-rung ‘SE Edition’ models bring you a 7 inch touchscreen, full phone connectivity, 16 inch alloys, as well as a host of driver assistance systems including driver drowsiness alert, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, automatic emergency city braking, forward collision alert and speed sign recognition.
As you can see, then, both the Fiesta and the Corsa stack up really well against each other - whichever one you opt for, you’re sure to enjoy the experience.
Then there’s the awards the Corsa has racked-up in recent months.
It was named ‘Best Fleet Supermini’ at the Fleet World Great British Fleet Awards 2021 and also took home the ‘Small Car of the Year 2022’ gong at the 2022 Company Car & Van Awards.
And as Vauxhall points out, having sold more than 91,452 cars throughout last year it accounted for 5.55 per cent of the UK new car market. That’s no mean feat, and makes it one of the fastest growing manufacturers out there.
Is there a catch to leasing a Corsa? Perhaps. And we’ll tell you why.
One of the Fiesta’s real party pieces is it’s superb 1.0 litre mild-hybrid EcoBoost petrol engine, particularly the 155 PS version which will accelerate you from 0-62 mph in just 8.9 seconds while still returning around 55 miles to the gallon.
Also don’t forget that there’s currently no hot-hatch version of the Corsa, with the old VXR models having been shelved. There is, however, the brilliant Ford Fiesta ST, with power of 200 PS and a blistering 0-62 mph time of just 6.5 seconds.
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