British-built Qashqai tops 2022 sales chart

"Sales of electric cars have overtaken diesels, putting them second to petrols for the first time"

- Steve Fowler

• EVS now second most popular type of vehicle after petrol cars
• Qashqai first Brit-built car to top annual sales chart for 24 years

NEW car sales dropped to 1.61 million in 2022, down by two per cent on 2021 and the worst year since 1992, as the pandemic hangover continued and the restriction on supply of parts for new cars hit hard in the first half of the year.

However, Nissan has managed the disruption to the supply chain better than most, enabling the Qashqai to top the sales chart for the first time, with 42,704 cars going to customers in 2022. The Qashqai has been designed and engineered in Britain and is built in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: "This is a landmark moment for a landmark car and it's great to see how the latest-generation Qashqai has struck a chord with car buyers here in the UK.

The biggest seller of 2021, the Vauxhall Corsa, took second place in the 2022 sales chart, followed by the Tesla Model Y, which was also the best-selling battery-electric vehicle in the year and best-selling vehicle overall during the month of December.

Sales of battery-electric cars have now overtaken those of diesels, taking a 16.6 per cent market share in 2022, putting them second behind petrol-powered models in the sales chart for the first time. Petrol cars still accounted for 56 per cent of all car sales, while hybrid cars took 11.6 per cent of sales and plug-in hybrids 6.3 per cent.