The Mercedes C-Class, Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3 are the only cars to have retained their position in the top ten contract hire market compared to a decade ago, new research shows.
According to data released by ContractHireAndLeasing.com, a shift in the most popular contract hire cars in the last ten years has seen smaller vehicles displace larger vehicles and more traditional executive models. The 2004 list of the most searched-for business and personal leasing cars on the company’s website featured two Saab models, the Land Rover Discovery, BMW 5 Series, BMW X5, BMW X3 and Audi A4.
The collapse of Saab has naturally seen the 9-3 and 9-3 convertible vanish from the 2014 list, but there’s also a notable move towards more compact, fuel-efficient models. Top models based on searches on the website between January 2014 and the end of June 2014 include the Mercedes A-Class, BMW 1 Series, Nissan Qashqai, Ford Fiesta and Range Rover Evoque.
The Ford Fiesta – Britain’s top-selling car over the last few years and a clear favourite with car buyers – is also now one of the UK’s top contract hire cars too. Data from the website searches suggests that the entry of models like the Ford Fiesta and Nissan Qashqai into the top searches has been driven by personal leasing customers.
However, an executive model tops the charts, the Mercedes C-Class moving from eighth place in 2004 to usurp the 2004 chart-topping VW Golf. However, the dominance of German brands has fallen back slightly in the past decade – they now claim seven of the ten top search places, compared to eight in 2004.
Dave Timmis, managing director of ContractHireAndLeasing.com, said: ‘We seen a shift in the size of the typical car searched for on the website over the last ten years, as consumers look for vehicles which are tax and fuel efficient. New entries such as like the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Fiesta suggests that leasing customers are increasingly looking for vehicles which than are practical and cheaper to run.’
This is how 2014’s top ten most popular contract hire cars compares to 2004’s list, according to ContractHireAndLeasing.com’s website searches:
| Rank | First half of 2014 | 2004 |
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | BMW X3 |
| 3 | Volkswagen Golf | Audi A4 |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | Saab 9-3 |
| 5 | BMW 3 Series | Audi A3 |
| 6 | BMW 1 Series | BMW 5 Series |
| 7 | Audi A3 | BMW X5 |
| 8 | Range Rover Evoque | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| 9 | Nissan Qashqai | Land Rover Discovery |
| 10 | Ford Fiesta | Saab 9-3 Convertible |
Source: Dealer Update
