2022 Parked: we reveal this year's biggest car search trends
Check out which are the most popular cars, colours, brands and features in 2022
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We've crunched the numbers to reveal the top car trends of 2022, based on searches on cinch.co.uk. The data reveals the most-wanted cars of the year as well as the most popular car colours, features and brands that UK drivers had in their sights in 2022.
Top 10 most popular cars of 2022
The Ford Fiesta took the top spot as Britain’s most searched for car on cinch.co.uk.
Searches for Fiestas spiked by 37% (compared to two weeks prior) following Ford’s announcement that production of the model would end in 2023.
The Mercedes A-Class saw the biggest increase in searches in 2022, soaring from the 11th most searched-for car in 2021 to the number two spot in 2022.
Mercedes’ C-Class also proved popular, rising from 25th most searched-for model in 2021 to 11th in 2022. The Nissan Juke was the only new entry to the top 20 most searched-for cars on cinch.
The Range Rover Evoque dropped from 4th place to 10th in 2022. The used VW Tiguan dropped six places, from 15th in 2021 to 21st in 2022.
The most popular cars of the year according to searches on cinch.co.uk in 2022:
In terms of car brands, Mercedes overtook 2021’s favourite, BMW, which fell back to third on the list of most searched-for car makes on cinch.co.uk. Ford moved up from fourth in 2021 to second in 2022. Kia was the only newcomer to the top 10 in 2022.
 "The top five most searched-for cars")
2022’s most popular brands according to searches on cinch.co.uk:
Car colours that cinched it for Brits
Black, white and grey were the top three car colours searched for on cinch in 2022. Blue and red followed closely behind, ahead of silver and green.
Green and orange were the colours that saw the biggest rise in popularity against the previous year. Drivers were particularly keen for green, with an increase in searches of 38% compared to 2021.
Tennis fever struck the nation in June, with searches for purple and green cars at their highest levels of 2022 in the week between the cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club and the start of Wimbledon. Britain’s drivers clearly got into the tennis spirit, with a whopping 160% increase in searches for purple and green cars versus the weekly average for 2022.
Most popular car colours according to searches on cinch.co.uk in 2022:
Black
White
Grey
Blue
Red
Silver
Green
Orange
Yellow
Purple
 "The most-popular car colour in 2022 according to searches was black")
Most-wanted car features
cinch’s data reveals how important specific features are when drivers are looking for a new motor. Apple CarPlay was the most-selected feature on cinch.co.uk in 2022, ahead of parking sensors, sat-nav, sunroof and Bluetooth. Once a staple in cars during the 1980s and 1990s, the data revealed that sunroofs were still a must-have, coming in at number four in the top five most searched-for car features.
Interestingly, while reportedly making up almost half of the UK mobile market, searches for cars with Android Auto were only a quarter of those for Apple CarPlay.
Most popular car features according to searches on cinch.co.uk in 2022:
Apple CarPlay
Parking sensors
Navigation/sat-nav
Sunroof
Bluetooth
 "Apple CarPlay was more of a priority for Brits than parking sensors, sunroof or sat-nav")
Up and down year for EVs
In a year of record petrol prices, cinch.co.uk saw a 113% increase in searches for electric vehicles during 2022, compared to 2021. Searches for EV-specific brands also saw exponential growth year-on-year; standout performers were Tesla (up 82%) and Polestar (up 96%).
However, the end of the year saw a decline in searches for EVs, potentially due in part to rising energy prices. Searches for EVs in October and November were down 35% on the monthly averages seen during Jan-Sep 2022, and down 32% compared to the same two months in 2021.
Going large
SUV searches were up by 51% in 2022 compared to 2021, with Brits enjoying the space, elevated driving position and huge range of models on the market. In comparison, saloon cars saw a decrease of 5% in searches during 2022 versus 2021.
The trend for larger cars may be linked to Brits reigniting their love for staycations following the years of pandemic-induced travel restrictions.
Hot car summer
With temperatures breaking records during summer 2022, cinch’s data reveals similar record-breaking searches for convertible cars. Across the summer months (May-August 2022), searches for convertible cars increased by 27% compared to the previous summer.
Brits were craving the wind in their hair during the historic heatwave, with searches for convertibles peaking on Sunday 17 July – the hottest day on record in the UK.
 "Searches rose convertibles during Britain's hottest summer increased by 27% vs. 2021")