Lockdown boost as luxury cars jump up Welsh top 10 list

Mercedes-Benz cars jumped two places in the UK rankings of most popular cars during the pandemic, climbing from position eight before the country’s first lockdown, to position six in 2020 and 2021 – the only significant change in the top ten table.

The Welsh table followed the same trend, as Mercedes-Benz entered the top 10 in 2020 at number nine and jumped up to eighth place in 2021 – with Audi also making an appearance in the top five this year for the first time in three years.

A luxury motor might not be the obvious choice amidst a penny crunching global pandemic, but many consumers have surplus savings given their lack of holidays and socialising during lockdown.

Research from a consumer insight report shows households earning over £28,000 were able to save more than usual during the pandemic.

According to data from Quotezone.co.uk, the top three reasons people borrowed money during the pandemic were to purchase a car, consolidate their debts and to do home improvements – with car purchase as number one.

Other luxury cars, such as Land Rover, are also on the move up the UK top 20 table, jumping from 19th in 2019 to 17th in 2020 and then 14th in 2021.  BMW and Audi held steady at 4th and 5th respectively across all three years, despite the pandemic.

Luxury cars became increasingly popular right across the UK, with Northern Ireland picking up a luxury car in its top three as Audi moved from 4th in 2019 and 2020 up to 2nd in 2021.  Scotland followed a similar trend to the rest of the UK with Mercedes-Benz at 9^th across 2019 and 2020, then jumped up to 8^th in 2021.  

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments:  “The pandemic has given some Welsh drivers the opportunity to trade in their motor for the luxury car they’ve always wanted – with work from home keeping mileage to a minimum and reducing the need for inner city parking which can be both risky and expensive.

“In a year without foreign holidays and weekends away it perhaps makes sense that people took the opportunity to upgrade their vehicles.  However just because customers bought a high-end vehicle doesn’t mean they should pay high-end prices. Comparison sites help customers compare and save, no matter how expensive the car.”

The top three most popular car makes in Wales year on year from 2019-2021 were: Ford, Vauxhall and Volkwagen with no changes in rank across the three years.

The top three Welsh favourites are consistent with the rest of the UK, however the order changes depending on the region – where Wales has Ford at number one, Scotland leads with Vauxhall and Northern Ireland has Volkswagen. While Scotland and Northern Ireland favour the Vauxhall Insignia as the third most popular Vauxhall, Wales prefers the Zafira and similarly Scottish drivers are opting for a Ford Mondeo when Wlesh drivers are choosing the Ford Ka.

For those choosing to invest in a luxury motor this year, there are still ways to keep insurance premiums to a minimum, such as:

• Park the car off the road, wither on a private driveway or in a garage
• Avoid adding expensive ‘modifications’
• Choose a car with an alarm, immmobiliser and fit a tracker
• Explore the use of a telematics insurance product
• Keep mileage low
• Drive safely and avoid motoring convictions / build up a No Claims Bonus
• Consider completing the ‘Pass Plus’ or ‘ RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders’ test’

Quotezone.co.uk helps aroudn 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands acrosss different 60 products including niche products such as telematics insurance, young driver insurance and modified car insurance.