None of the cars featured on the list are powered by engines larger than 1.8 litres which car insurance expert Peter Harrison claims is due to the escalating motoring costs, with fuel and insurance prices continuing to increase.
10. Honda Civic
The Honda Civic narrowly piped the Ford Ka into the top ten by just over 800 searches over the course of 2010. The Civic is not just the only Honda car in the top 10, but also the only Japanese car.
This is surprising given that Toyota is statistically the best selling car manufacturer in the world. However, no Toyota car even broke into the top twenty. The average model of Civic searched for by the 402,000 motorists was a ten year old 1.6 litre version.
9. Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen beat the Civic to 9th place with their Polo model by 30,000 searches. This helped corroborate the claims that smaller models are now more popular; with the average engine size of the Polo’s searched for being 1.2 litres.
The average age of Polo searched for was eleven years old, which is slightly older than many of other models on this list. This is perhaps a reflection of the slower depreciation rates associated with Volkswagens.
8. Fiat Punto
At number eight, the Fiat Punto is the only Italian car in the top ten with 467,000 quotes having been sought out for insurance on the model. This gives Fiat a surprising victory over Volkswagen with their Polo model, with the 1.2 litre Fiat having proven to be the most common choice amongst British motorists.
However, the average age of the Punto was actually two years younger than that of the Polo which is likely an indication of the higher depreciation rate on the Italian motor.
7. Peugeot 206
The Peugeot 206 is the first car to break the half a million search barrier, with the ever popular French motor the most popular from Peugeots vehicle range. The average age of 206 searched for is nine years old which is in line with that of the Punto.
However, the average engine size of the 206 is higher than the Punto; with the 1.4 litre engine the most common choice. This could be an indication of the increased popularity of Peugeot’s diesel offerings.
6. Renault Clio
Renault will be delighted to have comfortably beaten Peugeot to the honour of the most popular French car, with 160,000 more searches for insurance on the popular little Clio.
However, unlike the 206 the average engine size of Clio searched for is 1.2 litres which puts it in line with the Punto. The average age of the Clio owned was also slightly higher than that of the 206 despite having a similar depreciation rate. This could indicate better reliability from Renault.
5. Volkswagen Golf
Despite being a larger size than the Polo and therefore attracting higher insurance rates, the Golf attracted 300,000 more searches than its little sister and sits 5th with 719,000 searches in total throughout the whole of 2010. This goes against the general trend commented on by moneysupermarket.com of smaller vehicles being more popular.
Volkswagen also goes against the trend in terms of average engine size and age, with the most commonly searched for Golf being a 1.8 litre eleven year old model. The older average age is again perhaps an indication of Volkswagen’s slower depreciation rates, while the larger engine size could be a sign of an older average age for the owners of the vehicles.
4. Ford Focus
Despite regularly being in the top two list for most popular new cars in the UK, the Focus is only 4th in the list of most popular cars overall. It only narrowly beat the Golf to this position, with only 7,000 more searches.
Like the Golf, the Focus also goes against the general trend in terms of average engine size being 1.8 litres, which could again be a sign of a higher average age for Focus owners.
3. Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall will be delighted to have been beaten its big rival at Ford, with the Astra attracting 90,000 more searches than the Focus.
The Astra also appears to attract a slightly younger customer, with the average engine size being 1.6 litres which is more in line with what has been seen from other models of the smaller engined versions being more popular.
2. Ford Fiesta
Corroborating the popularity of smaller cars that are cheap to insure, the Ford Fiesta is now more popular in the UK than the Ford Focus with 200,000 extra searches.
Unlike the Focus, the smaller engined version of the Fiesta is the most popular with the average engine size being 1.3 litres. However, the average age is slightly higher than many of the others in the list. This is probably an indication of the cars popularity with younger motorists who are keen to take advantage of the lower insurance premiums offered to Fiesta owners.
1. Vauxhall Corsa
Not only is the Corsa the most popular car in the UK and allowed Vauxhall to once again triumph over Ford, it is also the only car which broke the one million search barrier on the moneysupermarket.com website.
The popularity of the Corsa also further underlines the popularity of cars that are cheaper to insure in the UK which has already been highlighted by the fact that 60% of the top ten is occupied by smaller vehicles.
