Popular car brands continue to impress

The latest market research by Creditplus found that the top three remained the same, but with the cars in a new order.

In first place was the Vauxhall Astra, accounting for 5.39% of the cars financed by Creditplus in 2011.

Second place went to the BMW 3-Series with 5.27%, and the Ford Focus - which won last year - came in third with a 4.98% share.

Many factors go towards the popularity of a motor vehicle, including 'drivability', price and how much they cost to secure car insurance.

Creditplus' Top 20 used cars is mainly made up of German models, with the Audi A3, Audi A4, BMW 1-Series and Volkswagen Golf on their best-sellers list.

But Vauxhall and Ford are the overall winners, sharing seven different models between themselves and dominating the list, with six of those models in the Top 10.

Creditplus.co.uk managing director, Shaun Armstrong, said: "It is clear to see the 'family favourites' are still extremely popular. Many consumers don't even look past Ford and Vauxhall before making a choice about their next vehicle.

"This is hardly surprising though as these cars have proved to be highly reliable over the last 10 years."

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