Every driver knows how nostalgic it is to think of your first car. Just like the stuffed animal you wouldn’t go anywhere without as a child, our first cars are special to us, with more than a third (34%) of British drivers telling Dick Lovett they miss their old banger. 

Is it a case of the ‘car that got away’ for British drivers? Well, it seems first cars occupy a special place in British nostalgia, with 3 in 5 (58%) drivers feeling nostalgic when they think about their first car. Another two-fifths (41%) of drivers even went so far as to say they still feel attached to their first car.

However, just like that stuffed animal that was once attached to the crook of your arm, there comes a time when we outgrow our first cars and have to move on to newer, bigger, and shinier things. 

As the saying goes, everything in life is temporary. And last year in the UK alone, around 850,000 cars were scrapped. But that doesn’t stop 1 in 4 (25%) drivers looking out for their first cars on the road, and another third (33%) looking at the number plate to see if it's their exact old one. 

As such, we’ve crunched the numbers to determine which of the UK’s historically most popular first cars are most at risk of extinction, which makes and models were the most popular for each decade (and which ones are consistent favourites), and which of the UK’s nostalgia-inspiring cars are most likely to make a comeback.

While we might like to feel like individuals, humans, by nature, are pack animals. Biology aside, this means when something is en vogue or trending with our peers, we want a little slice of the action, too.

Our research found that the Ford Fiesta absolutely dominates the top spot for each decade's most popular first cars - with around 1 in 8 (12%) drivers in the UK saying they had one. 

Often coined as Britain’s best-selling car, it’s hard to drive down a street without seeing at least one. 

However, we found that the Fiesta’s popularity has gradually declined from the 2000s, going from 26% of drivers’ first cars to 16% of drivers' first cars in the 2020s - perhaps related to Ford stopping production of the iconic model in 2022 after 47 years.

Following the Fiesta was the Vauxhall Corsa, with 1 in 25 (4%) British drivers having one as their first car. 

The third-most popular first car ever in the UK is the iconic Mini Cooper (3%).

While our study found some consistent favourites for first cars, just like every decade has its distinct style, they also have some very definitive first cars too:

When looking to the 80s, the Fiesta and Mini Cooper take the top spots. But the make and model taking the spot as the third-most popular first car of the 80s is the Ford Capri, with 1 in 6 (16%) people who got their first car in this decade having one. 

For the British drivers getting their first car in the 90s, the Fiesta and Mini Cooper dominated the first and second most popular first cars. However, a somewhat newcomer took the third spot: the Nissan Micra. 

The Nissan Micra was first produced in 1982, and with British drivers telling us their first car was an average of 7 years old when they first got it, it makes sense that the Micra didn’t start to pick up in popularity with first-time car owners until the following decade. 

The turn of the millennium saw the Mini Cooper knocked out of second place of most popular first cars, as the Vauxhall Corsa moved up three spots. However, the Ford Fiesta kept its winning place in number one. 

Looking to the 2010s the top two spots stay the same, with the Ford Focus entering the top three for the first time, with 1 in 12 (8%) first car owners having one. 

However, the 2010s also saw Audi enter the most popular first car charts, with the A3 holding position 8. 

Then, going on to the 2020s, the A3 climbed the ranks to position 2, knocking the Corsa down a point to position 3. The Audi A1 also enters the most popular first cars list at position 8. 

Given we’ve still got a few years until the 2020s ends, we could expect this list to change quite a bit - perhaps an electric vehicle could be crowned number one by the time 2030 chimes around?

Research shows that the majority (58%) of British drivers change their car every 1-3 years, but how long should you keep your first car? While this will vary from person to person, our study also found that the average length of time people kept their first car is around 3 years.

Outside simply wanting a new car (42%), the top reason why drivers got rid of their first car was because it needed repairs that were more expensive than the car itself (27%). 

But, for those who still have their first car and are thinking about moving on, you might want to reconsider as 3 in 10 (30%) drivers told us they wish they kept their first car for longer than they did. 

However, with the average age of cars getting scrapped in 2023 sitting at 17, there’s a good chance many Brits’ first cars aren’t around anymore. 

To help us determine which of the UK’s most popular first cars are most at risk of extinction, we looked at which cars were no longer in production and analysed how many of them are still licensed to drive on British roads, as well as the rate at which they’ve been scrapped over the past 5 years:

The Vauxhall Nova, which we found was the eighth most popular first car in the 80s and 90s, is the one we found most at risk of extinction. With just 841 road-worthy Novas left in the UK, if it keeps getting scrapped at the same rate (an average of 4,806 being scrapped every quarter over the past 5 years), then the Nova could have just 2 weeks left on our roads. 

Following the Nova is the Peugeot 205. Our research found that the 205 peaked in popularity of first cars in the 90s and noughties, but with just 3,288 left on UK roads, and an average of 11,528 being scrapped every quarter over the past 5 years, the 205 could be gone from UK roads in just 4 weeks if things keep going the same way. 

In third place is the Citroen Saxo. The Saxo was the tenth most popular first car in the 2000s, and if things keep going the same way, with an average of 12,845 getting scrapped every quarter, the Saxo also has just 4 weeks left. 

Another popular first car making the top 10 most at risk list was the Ford Fiesta. Given the Fiesta’s recent end in production, our calculations predict the iconic Ford vehicle is also at risk of complete eradication in the next 4 years and 2 months if it keeps getting scrapped at the same rate. 

Similarly, the Mini Clubman, which we found peaked in popularity with drivers who got their first cars in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, is also at risk of complete extinction, with potentially just 8 years and 3 months left.

The Clubman is known for its iconic, signature split rear doors, and while it had a bit of a comeback after its rebrand in 2007, MINI discontinued production at the start of 2024.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for our nation’s most popular first cars. We’ve identified some historically popular first cars likely to make a ‘comeback’ in the most popular first car lists. 

To do this, we took our full list of the top 30 overall most popular first cars in the UK since the 80s, and collected data on online searches where the intent showed people were searching to buy. Check out our comeback cars below:

Our analysis predicts that the Toyota Corolla is the make and model most likely to make a comeback as a popular first car, with sales-related searches for the vehicle increasing by an average of 11% every year for the past 4 years. 

Our data shows the Corolla first entered the most popular first car charts in the 1980s as the 13th most popular first car of that decade. The Corolla then fell off, not charting again until the 2020s, where it currently sits in the fourth spot. 

Perhaps the introduction of the hybrid version of the Corolla in 2020 has something to do with it charting again. 

Following the Corolla is the Volkswagen Golf, with online searches surrounding sales of the Golf increasing by 9% a year over the past 4 years. The Golf was the ninth most popular first car of the 1980s, but it failed to chart in the top 10 again until the 2020s - and is currently back in the ninth spot. 

And the third first car most likely to make a comeback? It’s Toyota again with the Yaris. Over the past 4 years, the Yaris has seen a yearly increase of sales-related searches by around 8%. However, it’s been charting in the top 10 most popular first cars since the 2010s - jumping from position 7 to 5 in the 2020s.

While “what’s the best first car?” might be a question that’ll never be fully answered, it’s clear to see that Brits have their favourites. 

With 4 in 5 (80%) recalling being proud of their first car, whichever first car you decide to go for, the likelihood is that you’ll love it either way. 

Ironically, sometimes it’s the cars that aren’t quite perfect with their problems and quirks that stay closest to our hearts - even if we do eventually move on. 

But, perhaps the nations’ hearts will win over their heads, and we’re looking forward to seeing if some of Brits’ favourite first cars make a retro return to our roads. 

_{PART 1 - Demand for cars}

_{A survey of 2,000 UK drivers was run via 3Gem between 26th June and 4th July 2024 to collect data on the most common first cars across various age groups and demographics. The top 30 most mentioned car brands and models were then selected for the study.}

_{Search volumes were then collected over the last 4 years for the makes and models across four search term variations:}

• _{[Search term]}
• _{[Search term] for sale}
• _{Insurance for [Search term]}
• _{[Search term] Autotrader}

_{The search volumes were then analysed to calculate average yearly change, 4 year change and ave. 12 month search to get three measures of demand. These measures were then ranked to create a demand index which demonstrates the current level of demand for each make and model.}

_{PART 2 - Extinction of popular cars}

_{Using the list of the most popular car models from our survey that are no longer in production, data was collected on the number existing currently as well as how many are SORN and Licenced each quarter for the past 5 years (ignoring Q4 2019).}

_{These figures were used to calculate the average number SORN and Licenced each quarter which allowed for a rate of decline to be calculated.}

_{For the final figure the average monthly SORN figures were divided by the current number of cars to identify how many quarters/years there are until the cars go extinct.} 

_{This calculation is therefore built on the assumption that no more of that specific model will be made or licenced.}