I compared Vauxhall Corsa to UK's four most popular cars to find the best
EXCLUSIVE: Christopher Sharp compares the Vauxhall Corsa with other cars in the top five of the SMMT's best sellers list
Every single month the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) releases its list of the best selling cars in the United Kingdom. I've been lucky enough to test all of the top five best selling cars in 2026 – the Ford Puma (33,173 models sold), the Kia Sportage (29,033), Jaecoo 7 (26,549), Nissan Qashqai (26,327) and Vauxhall Corsa (20,796).
The Corsa, the first version of which was released in the 1990s, was the most recent I'd driven. It's the only car in the top five which isn't an SUV. So, how does it stack up against the other cars it's fighting against to be the best selling car in the UK? I decided to compare each one to the Corsa, without putting too much weight on how much more spacious the SUVs (obviously) are.
Ford Puma vs Vauxhall Corsa
The Ford Puma (RRP £27,145) looks a bit like a city car and so looks like it should share the same class as the Corsa but it doesn't. In fact, it's a small SUV, one which took over from Ford's Fiesta as the Blue Oval's main model. With big shoes to fill, the Puma appears to have done just that and currently sits as the best-selling car in the UK according to SMMT's figures. Whilst that might be the case, it's a car I really don't like. Yes, it's practical, yes it's a best-seller, but it rolls in the corners, the car I drove had a touchscreen that felt a touch too big, and for the money it just didn't feel worth it.
In comparison, the Corsa felt more nimble, brisker, easier to use, less dependent on a touchscreen when it came to the infotainment. Both suffer with poor headroom in the rear of the car. Furthermore, the Corsa has a much shallower boot and feels less comfortable on the motorway than the Puma. However, these behaviours can't help overcome the Puma's deficiencies. Maybe it's just me, but like looking across the English Channel to France from Dover on a foggy day, I just can't see it. The Puma isn't a bad car, just a disappointing one.
Verdict: Corsa wins
Jaecoo 7 vs Vauxhall Corsa
Ah yes, the famous Jaecoo 7 (RRP £29,210) – the 'Temu Range Rover' we've seen so much of recently. In case you'd been living under a rock, or only looking a little bit behind it, the Jaecoo 7 is that Chinese SUV that looks a little bit like a Range Rover Evoque. I drove one earlier this year at SMMT's Test Day. Given it's notoriety I really was very keen to drive one, dogs and rabbits in the most relaxed sense.
Physics dictated that it probably wouldn't handle as well as the Corsa, and it didn't. But when it comes to these things handling doesn't matter as much as interior ergonomics, comfort and how it makes you feel. In this sense it was more practical and more comfortable than the Corsa, but the Corsa wins because I prefer how it drove and how in the Corsa there was a greater ability to use buttons to change things rather than relying on massive touchscreens.
Verdict: Vauxhall Corsa wins
Kia Sportage vs Vauxhall Corsa
In SMMT's best sellers list the Kia Sportage (RRP £31,395) is running second to the aforementioned Ford Puma, but the Kia Sportage is a better all-round car, not just compared to the Puma, but the Corsa.
Ergonomically, it works well on the inside, with a touchscreen, buttons, and a lot more besides. The Kia was also, on the whole, the nicer car to be in. It was roomier, felt lighter. It also felt more comfortable on the motorway.
The Corsa fights back with its slightly more responsive powertrain and better handling. It also has a substantially cheaper RRP than the Kia. In fact, it's the cheapest one on this list, but if you're picking one of these to buy, on finance or other, then the Kia wins.
Verdict: Kia Sportage wins
Nissan Qashqai vs Vauxhall Corsa
As with the Kia above, with the Nissan Qashqai it's not a case of if the Corsa is better, but by how much it loses. There's the laws of physics, then there's ergonomics and then there's opinions. In this case the Nissan is better, not just than the Vauxhall, a brand with plenty of competitors in the SUV calss, but than any of the other cars on this list.
The Qashqai has a very well integrated hybrid system, is very easy to get along with and to learn to use. It's also very efficient, although I would say less comfortable than the Kia Sportage, but much comfier than the Corsa.
The Corsa's price does make it competitive objectively speaking even if it is in a different segment but I would still opt for the Nissan.
Verdict: Nissan Qashqai wins
