January in review: The biggest trends on Autotrader

From the biggest car brands to the biggest selling models, and everything in between, here are the cars you’ve been looking up on Autotrader in January.
If you're considering selling your car privately or beginning the search for your next vehicle, staying up to date with the latest trends can be invaluable. Each month, we'll spotlight what's capturing buyers' interest across the UK, using Autotrader data to reveal the most viewed cars, brands, models and colours. This monthly series offers a snapshot of what people are browsing, comparing and aspiring to own, helping you make informed decisions whether you're buying or selling your car. While online views don't always lead directly to sales, they do reveal which body styles, powertrains and established favourites are currently driving demand, giving you a clear picture of the market's mood this month.

January data shows a market led by a few dominant brands across the used and new car markets, with BMW and Volkswagen clearly setting the pace in buyer interest and activity.
• BMW led the market, ranking number one for stock (58.5k), ad views (27.6m), and leads (91.4k). This strong showing across the three areas suggests high buyer intent over January. • Volkswagen came second with 16.1 million advert views for 57.2k stock, and Ford came third with 11.1 million views across 55.3k stock. Both brands show consistent, high-volume exposure over the month – meaning there’s a strong market if you’re looking to sell yours. • More generally, we saw premium brands driving visibility, with Audi and Mercedes-Benz generating high advert views (21.8 million and 20.0 million respectively). • Mid-market brands like Toyota, Vauxhall, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia all produced reliable numbers of potential buyers over the month. As could be expected, they didn’t reach the highly engaged numbers of more aspirational brands like BMW, but they are pulling in good numbers and sales – showing there’s an audience for each brand on Autotrader. Overall, the pattern suggests that January buyers are a mix of aspirational and pragmatic: they’re heavily researching premium vehicles while still following through strongly on well-priced, mainstream options that balance availability, value, and reliability.

In January, buyer interest was heavily concentrated around a small group of familiar, trusted models.
The Volkswagen Golf led with 5.8 million views, followed closely by the BMW 3 Series at 5 million, reinforcing demand for practical all-rounders with strong brand appeal. Viewed through a cultural lens, this behaviour could reflect a nation balancing aspiration with caution. The dominance of the Golf and 3 Series points to a desire for “safe bets”; cars that signal stability, reliability, and familiarity in uncertain economic times. Strong interest in premium models like the Mercedes C-Class (3.6 million), BMW 1 Series (3.5 m), and A-Class (3.1 m) suggests aspiration hasn’t disappeared, but it’s being a bit more contained: people want a sense of progress and status without overreaching financially. Meanwhile, solid viewing figures for practical choices like the Ford Focus (3 m) and Volkswagen Polo (2.7 m) reflect ongoing cost-of-living anxieties and a preference for controllable running costs. The Porsche 911’s 2.5 m views is a bit of an outlier, but suggests Brits are still quietly indulging in some “what if” dreaming. Overall, January’s top models suggest a cautious optimism: buyers are aspirational and thinking ahead, but deeply aware of risk and so seeking reassurance, familiarity, and a touch of escapism rather than bold leaps.

As usual, monochromatic cars remain popular with car buyers – black, white and grey dominate ad views, with black the most popular at 54 million views in January.
These neutral shades are favoured for their broad appeal and easier resale. And with Pantone’s colour of the year being the off-white “cloud dancer”, we could expect neutrals to hold their place over the year, though it’ll be interesting to see whether lighter colours grow in popularity and knock black from its top spot.

As with most months, SUVs dominated in stock and ad views over January (333k vehicles – 47%, 76.5 m views) but surprisingly generate fewer leads than hatchbacks (280k vs 337k). So while the image and space of an SUV appeals, practical, everyday cars like hatchbacks remain the purchase sweet spot.
Saloons and estates maintain a steady but smaller share, signalling that traditional family or executive forms are respected but no longer aspirational for the majority. Meanwhile coupes and convertibles attract aspirational interest but few actual buyers – one that’s likely to change as warm weather rolls in later this year. See: Best time to sell your car.

Over January, we saw strong demand for the nearly-new petrol and hybrid models (those released less than a year ago) listed on site, with some callout examples including:
• Audi A5 Hatchback (petrol, <1 year old): Demand up 81% year-on-year. • Vauxhall Astra (petrol, <1 year old): Demand up 39%. • Kia Sportage (petrol, <1 year old): Demand up 35%. Plug-in and fully electric cars are also in demand, with one clear example being the Volvo XC40 (3–5 years, electric) seeing demand up 73%. Reduced supply in electric cars, including the MINI Countryman (down 81% year on year) and the Audi A5, could see sellers command better prices and ask buyers to be ready to move if they don’t want to risk missing out. Similarly, certain older models are showing rising demand despite their age: • Audi A5 Coupe (10–15 years, diesel): Demand up 46%, supply down 33%. • Porsche Cayman (10–15 years, petrol): Demand up 59%, supply down 10%. Buyers should act quickly on new petrol, hybrid, and electric SUVs, as popular models are in short supply and stock could be snapped up. And vice versa, if you’re looking at a new car come March’s plate change, then now could be a good time to list a desirable model – particularly recent SUVs and hybrids, or sought-after older cars.

Keeping an eye on what’s popular on Autotrader can give you a real advantage, whether you’re thinking about selling your car or hunting for your next one. Knowing which models, colours and styles are in demand can help you price your car right, spot a good deal, or find a car that’s likely to sell quickly.
As 2026 gets underway, these trends can make a handy guide to making smarter choices in a market that’s always changing, helping you get the best value whether you’re buying or selling your car.