Octobers second hand car sales shows the fastest selling car in the UK is the 2010 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso.

• 2010 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso diesel auto was the fastest selling car nationally
• 2014 Fiat 500 petrol was the fastest seller in the East Midlands and in Scotland
• 2013 Toyota Aygo petrol was the fastest seller in the South East and in the North West
• 2012 Volkswagen Golf diesel was the fastest seller in London and in East England

The fastest selling used car in the month following the autumn plate-change was a Citroen diesel. The Grand C4 Picasso MPV automatic sold in an average of 19 days across the UK, according to latest data collated by Auto Trader, the country’s largest marketplace for new and used cars.

Fastest selling cars in October 2015

Rank	Year, make and model	Days to sell	Price position	Retail price
1	2010 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso diesel auto	19	97.17%	£6,999
2	2013 Toyota Aygo petrol semi-auto	19	97.99%	£6,342
3	2013 Vauxhall Astra Coupe petrol	19	99.74%	£17,177
4	2012 Chevrolet Orlando petrol auto	19	98.36%	£7,930
5	2012 Audi A5 diesel auto	20	97.30%	£18,401
6	2013 Dacia Sandero petrol	20	99.87%	£5,354
7	2012 BMW 3 Series petrol auto	22	98.61%	£17,549
8	2011 Hyundai Santa Fe diesel auto	22	97.63%	£13,485
9	2010 Toyota Yaris petrol auto	23	98.73%	£5,667
10	2012 Toyota Aygo petrol semi-auto	23	99.87%	£5,940

“The fastest seller figures are reported by Auto Trader on a monthly basis, and I am sure the data for October will be of particular interest to motor industry commentators and retailers alike,” said Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Director Retailer & Consumer Products. 

“It is still very early days to assess what impact the VW Group emissions scandal may have had on the market. Despite not featuring in this month’s Top 10, speed of sale and market prices of the majority of VW models has not been noticeably impacted throughout October, and we are yet to see any changes in consumer demand. 

It’s been exactly a month since the Volkswagen Sharan topped the national fastest sellers list in September, so we will continue to monitor developments and trends closely over the coming months”.

October showed another strong month for i-Control customers, with an average of 27 days to turn stock against a 63 day average reported for the whole market. Utilizing regional market data and daily movements to support retailers in their stock management decisions - including buying and pricing to the live market – iControl customers also beat the performance for October year-on-year.

“What we can underline with our fastest selling results is the continuing importance of transparency in all areas of the new and used car markets,”Karolina Edwards-Smajda added. 

“For example our pricing data tells us that none of the top ten fastest sellers nationally in October sold for more than their optimum price point, according to Auto Trader’s comprehensive data on valuations. 

That may be the early signs of a softening of the market as the festive season approaches but dealers in the South, the South East and the South West can be reassured as values remain robust.”

Auto Trader publishes top ten lists for fastest selling cars every month. At least 30 sales of each make and model variant must be made to qualify for inclusion in the charts.

New report lists worst cars in UK for suspension Damage, German brands take top two spots

• Speed bumps and potholes largely to blame
• Audi RS6 most susceptible to damage

The Audi RS6 and Mercedes R-Class are more likely to suffer suspension damage than any other cars in the UK, according to a new study by Warranty Direct. 

Fiat’s six-seater Multipla and the Jaguar XK sports car are the next most vulnerable, with 29 and 28.5 percent of Warranty Direct customers claiming for damage to axle and suspension components on their cars annually.

Deteriorating, potholed roads in winter and the proliferation of speed bumps increase the likelihood of suspension damage yet further, meaning that repairs cost an average of £247 to fix.

Warranty Direct’s database of 50,000 live policies shows that the most vulnerable vehicles are up to 30 times more likely to claim for suspension damage than the most robust cars.  

At the other end of the ‘risk scale’, the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 (ostensibly the same car) are seemingly impervious to the UK’s pothole-ridden roads. Surprisingly, the Honda S2000 sports car is also one of the most pothole-resistant vehicles.

Axle and suspension failure rates

Make	Model	Year	Percentage chance of suspension failure
Audi	RS6	(02 - 11)	38.37
Mercedes-Benz	R-Class	(06 - 13)	30.67
Fiat	Multipla	(04 - 10)	29.05
Jaguar	XK Series	(96 - 06)	28.48
Bentley	Continental GT	(03 - 11)	28.28
Mazda	5	(05 - 10)	27.17
Mercedes-Benz	CL	(00 - 07)	25.96
Chrysler	300C	(05 - 10)	25.53
Jaguar	XJ Series	(03 - 09)	24.81
Hyundai	Santa Fe	(06 - 12)	24.14

Warranty Direct managing director, David Gerrans, said: “It is almost unbelievable how much variation there is from one model to another when it comes to suspension damage.

“Any vehicle driven on damaged, poor surfaces regularly or used for commuting on routes littered with speed bumps will eventually come to grief. London is particularly bad for the latter.

“The roads are as bad as ever but some cars are affected terribly, with components like bushes, track rod ends, drop links, springs and dampers all susceptible. Instead of cheap runabouts, luxury vehicles and stiffly sprung sports cars are most prone to breakdowns – with the exception of the Honda S2000.” 

Vehicles made by Honda, Isuzu and Toyota have the most robust suspension systems; less than three per cent of cars made by these manufacturers suffer failures annually. Bentley, on the other hand, performs worst; 28 per cent of its cars will suffer suspension damage in a typical year.  

NCAP, Hyundai Santa Fe as been named safest in class.

• New Generation Santa Fe is rated as the safest ‘Large Off-Road 4x4’ in 2012
• Best-in-class Euro NCAP results in all categories
• Further evidence of Hyundai's commitment to the highest safety standards

The Hyundai New Generation Santa Fe has been named as the safest car in its class assessed by Euro NCAP during 2012.  Its scores across all test categories were best-in-class, making it one of the safest vehicles ever tested by the independent vehicle assessment organisation and the best in the ‘Large Off-Road 4x4’ segment –ahead of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Range Rover.

Of the 36 vehicles tested during 2012, the eight top-performers in their segments have been recommended by Euro NCAP for their leading levels of safety across a range of assessments.  In the ‘adult occupant’ category, New Generation Santa Fe scored 96% with maximum points in the side barrier test.  In the ‘child occupant’category, the D-segment SUV received a score of 89%, and features such as electronic stability control contributed to the car’s score of 86% in the ‘safety assist’ category.

In a further demonstration of Hyundai’s commitment to safety, the New Generation Santa Fe is the brand’s first car to be equipped with an active bonnet.  This activates if a pedestrian is hit, reducing impact forces and reducing the risk of serious injury.  The result of this is a ‘pedestrian safety’ score of 71%, making the New Generation Santa Fe stand out among its rivals in this category with the nearest high score being 63%.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented, “Having the New Generation Santa Fe recommended by Euro NCAP as the safest car in its class demonstrates Hyundai’s commitment to the safety of its customers and other road users.  The car’s inherent safety combined with low CO2, high levels of equipment and emotional design make the New Generation Santa Fe the complete package for European buyers.”

The New Generation Santa Fe is the latest of a long line of Hyundai models to achieve the maximum five-star score in Euro NCAP’s rigorous assessment program, following the top ratings achieved by the New i20, ix20, ix35, i40, Veloster and the New Generation i30.

Every New Generation Santa Fe on sale in Europe comes with Hyundai’s Five Year Triple Care.  This award-winning customer assurance package includes a five-year warranty with no mileage limit, five years of roadside assistance and five years of vehicle health checks.

EURO NCAP IS ANNOUNCING THE TOP CHOICES FOR SAFETY AND THE RECOMMENDED VEHICLES IN THEIR CLASS.

In 2012, Euro NCAP published the results for 36 vehicles available on the European market. Six five-star vehicles performed highly in each of the four individual marking criteria: adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems.

The best in class of 2012, recommended by Euro NCAP for their outstanding safety performance are:

Renault Clio  Supermini

Volvo V40 Small Family

Ford B-MAX Small MPV

Fiat 500L Small MPV

Ford Kuga Small Off-Road 4x4

Hyundai Santa Fe Large Off-Road 4x4

BMW 3 Series Large Family

Ford Transit Business/family van

The FIAT 500L and Ford B-MAX are sharing the Best in Class honour in the Small MPV category. The Volvo V40 reached the highest combined score of any car previously tested by Euro NCAP. Whilst 26 five-star cars were released, one model achieved four stars and 8 received three stars. Last year’s underperformers were theJeep Compass and Renault Trafic, each of which was only able to score two stars against the latest set of requirements.

The runners-up of 2012 are the Ford Fiesta in the Supermini category; the Opel Mokka in the Small Family category; the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid in the Large Family category; the Subaru Forester in the Small Off-Road 4x4 category, and the Range Rover in the Large Off-Road 4x4.

For the first time, Euro NCAP released comparative tests results in the popular category of Business and Family vans. The Ford Transit is the first van to achieve a Euro NCAP five star overall rating and to receive the best in class honour.The runners-up in this new category are the FIAT Scudo and its twins, the Citroen Jumpy andPeugeot Expert, all of which received three stars.