VFACTS: The best and worst selling passenger cars of 2021

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As a simple exercise, we show you the best and worst selling cars from each vehicle segment.

To some boardrooms, sales are all that matter.

But in the real world, we know that’s not the truth. Some of our favourite cars here at Drive are not the market’s first choice; and if you delve deeper into the variant split, sometimes we recommend a trim level that’s not the most popular.

What it does show however is the diversity of the car market. Emotion, price, power, and even what the brand says about you determine which cars Australians choose to love or hate.

Before digesting this list, it’s worth considering the semiconductor and general automotive product shortage has affected the number of vehicles sold in Australia. We also excluded vehicles that were discontinued throughout the year to get a clearer and more honest picture.

On that, here are both the most popular and least popular vehicles from each segment, as defined by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Best seller – 2022 Kia Picanto

6591 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 69.4 per cent year on year.
46.6 per cent segment share
Drive variant pick: 2022 Kia Picanto S

Last place – 2022 Fiat 500/Abarth

85 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 42.1 per cent year on year.
7.8 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Abarth 595 Competizione (with a manual transmission)

Best seller – 2022 MG 3

13,774 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 92.4 per cent year on year.
32 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 MG 3

Last place – 2022 Ford Fiesta

342 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 44.9 per cent year on year.
0.8 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Ford Fiesta ST

Best seller – 2022 Mini hatch

1866 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 15.7 per cent year on year.
70.8 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Mini Cooper S

Last place – 2022 Citroen C3

88 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 87.2 per cent year on year.
3.3 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Citroen C3

Best seller – 2022 Toyota Corolla

Last place – 2022 Toyota Prius

77 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 18.9 per cent year on year.
0.01 per cent segment share.
DRIVE variant pick: 2022 Toyota Prius

Best seller – 2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class

3793 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 37.3 per cent year on year.
37.7 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Mercedes A250

Last place – 2022 Nissan Leaf

367 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 0.8 per cent year on year.
3.6 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Nissan Leaf e+

Drive Car of the Year Best Small Luxury Car 2021 finalist Mercedes-Benz A Class front exterior view.

Best seller – 2022 Toyota Camry

28,768 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 11.2 per cent year on year.
29.1 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Toyota Camry SX Hybrid

Last place – 2022 Honda Accord

90 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 45.5 per cent year on year.
0.5 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Honda Accord VTi-LX

Best seller – 2022 BMW 3 Series

3982 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 16.9 per cent year on year.
31.6 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 BMW 330i

Last place – 2022 Genesis G70

Best seller – 2022 Kia Stinger

1407 vehicles sold in 2021. down 20.9 per cent year on year.
70.2 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Kia Stinger GT

Last place – 2022 Skoda Superb

Best seller – 2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Last place – 2022 Jaguar XF

Upper Large over $100,000

Best seller – Mercedes-Benz S-Class

263 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 61.3 per cent year on year.
41.9.1 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Mercedes-Benz S450L

Last place – 2022 Maserati Quattroporte

Best seller – 2022 Ford Mustang

2827 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 3.3 per cent year on year.
55.9 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Last place – 2022 Mini Convertible

Sports $80,000 to $200,000

Best seller – 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe

Last place – 2022 Lexus LC

Best seller – 2022 Porsche 911

428 vehicles sold in 2021. Down 0.7 per cent year on year.
35.4 per cent segment share.
Drive variant pick: 2022 Porsche 911 GT3

Last place – 2022 Rolls-Royce (coupe and convertibles)

20 vehicles sold in 2021. Up 53.8 per cent year on year.
1.7 per cent market share.

After more than a decade working in the product planning and marketing departments of brands like Kia, Subaru and Peugeot, Justin Narayan returned to being a motoring writer – the very first job he held in the industry.