What are the Best-Selling Convertibles in the UK?
14th April 2022
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From thrill-seekers wanting to feel the wind in their hair to car lovers wanting to make a statement to those simply trying to make the most out of the great British summer, the UK’s obsession with convertible cars is showing no signs of stopping. The market for convertible cars has exploded since the turn of the millennium, we can expect this trend to continue.
While the UK is not blessed with predictably pleasant weather, 2021 data from thisismoney.co.uk named the UK as the ‘convertible capital of Europe’ with the MINI Convertible named the UK’s most popular drop-top. A surprising find maybe, given the stunning roads and Mediterranean climate on offer on the continent, but Steve Ashdown of Convertible Car Magazine comments: ‘Convertibles are actually better suited to a milder climate than hot, arid conditions where you can keep much cooler and less sunburnt in an air-conditioned hardtop.’
The UK’s Most Popular Convertibles
Armed with this information, we’ve taken a look inside our database to include a wide range of convertibles across a sizable price bracket, to discover what the UK’s most popular convertibles are. So, before we get into the results, what do you think will be the most popular make and model? A Ferrari perhaps? Maybe a Lamborghini, or a sporty little Porsche?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, in yet another endorsement for German engineering, German cars dominate the top rankings for most popular convertibles. With Mercedes-Benz leading the way, accounting for 21.22% of finance agreements made, closely followed by BMW, whose convertibles constitute 18.90% of finance agreements made.
Audi took third place on the list, with the manufacturer’s convertibles accounting for 11.05% of agreements completed, followed by Porsche with 8.13%. The first non-German car maker, Bentley, appears fifth in the list, with their sales constituting 5.08% of the total data.
Perhaps surprisingly, performance-led supercars, Ferrari sat just outside the top five, with their convertibles constituting 4.45% of finance agreements, whilst Lamborghinis also made an appearance on our top 10 list. With their higher-end components and taller price tags, it’s fair to say models made by these companies are a little more exclusive.
It’s understandable that Mercedes, BMW, and Audi top the list of best-selling convertibles – they convey a certain prestige without overly-prohibitive pricing, are renowned for their quality and reliability, and, of course, look great with the roof down!
But which counties are hotspots for certain models?
Convertibles by County
Our data also showed some interesting regional trends; when it comes to convertibles, our customers in County Durham and Tyne and Wear account for 17.67% of finance agreements made for convertible cars.
With Durham routinely appearing on lists of the UK’s coldest cities, our data does appear to confirm that cold weather is no barrier to us hardy, car-loving northerners.
In fact, other Northern regions also showed a keenness for cabriolets more generally, too, as the top five locations by volume – County Durham, Tyne and Wear, Lancashire, Cleveland, and Yorkshire – were all based north of Birmingham.
In our home county, of County Durham, BMWs were the most popular convertible, whilst sales data in Tyne and Wear showed equal demand for BMWs and Mercedes. In Lancashire, Mercedes-Benz topped the table, accounting for a massive 38.89% of total convertible sales in the region.
In Yorkshire, Mercedes led the way, accounting for 34.38% of sales, closely followed by Audi, whilst, in nearby Cleveland, BMWs were again most popular, accounting for 28.13% of sales.
Further south, the trend continued, with Mercedes again the most popular convertible provider in Surrey and Essex. In Middlesex, BMWs were the convertible of choice, constituting 32.14% of sales.
The Best Places to Drive Convertibles
If there’s one thing that the data has shown, it’s that people in the UK don’t seem care about the weather when buying a convertible. Given that the top regions are all northern counties, and that Lancashire, long-renowned for its rather damp weather, ranks third by sales volume, it seems that it’s open season for convertible owners no matter where they live.
Perhaps, as a nation, we face so much bad weather that we value our convertibles all the more when the sun is shining? Or, as an Audi poll suggests, we don’t buy convertibles for the top-down function at all – results showed 64% of owners rarely or never take the roof down – and we’re drawn to the idea of soft-tops as status symbols?
If you are one of the few convertible owners who are concerned about the weather and want to get your roof down, we recommend the South West! West Sussex, in particular, Chichester which receives the most hours of sunshine per year. Other sunspots in the region include Plymouth, in Devon, and Southampton, the UK’s third-warmest city.
East Anglia and the surrounding areas make up another great region to be a convertible owner – Essex (which ranked 7th in convertible sales volume), Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk are routinely amongst the driest counties in the UK, so you won’t need to worry (too much) about getting wet!
If, like many of your other countrymen and women you’re not really bothered about the weather, there are plenty of stunning drives up and down the UK that’d look even better with the roof down, regardless of which make or model you’d choose.
So, if you’re in the market for a convertible, don’t be discouraged by rain and gloom in your area! Contact us, and get your dream car financed today.
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