Fleet registrations in April were level with last year to within 31 units as the market steadies itself on what is hoped to be an exit from the recession.

The overall figures were up 11.5%, but the fleet sector’s 72,385 units was a tiny amount up on April 2009. Vauxhall took the top spot from Ford, Volkswagen and Audi, while Vauxhall’s Astra was fleet’s biggest-selling model ahead of the Ford Focus.

Renault‘s return to fleet volume was spectacular, landing in seventh place overall with a 164.8% increase in volume over last April, while BMW, Citroen and Volvo all had a good month, and Seat‘s ambitions of becoming a more serious fleet player were reflected in a 134.3% rise, though still well outside the top ten.

The big two manufacturers were the only two in the top ten not to increase year-on-year sales, though Honda also had a bad month, slipping by 38.1% and well away from the top ten.

Top 10 fleet manufacturers – April 2010
Manufacturer April 2010 April 2009 % change
1 Vauxhall 12,300 14,335 -14.2
2 Ford 11,166 16,457 -32.2
3 VW 8116 6774 19.8
4 Audi 4633 3818 21.4
5 Peugeot 4566 3670 24.4
6 BMW 3731 2679 34.7
7 Renault 3365 1271 164.8
8 Nissan 3332 2358 41.3
9 Mercedes 2718 2373 14.5
10 Citroen 2523 1853 36.2
Top 10 fleet models– April 2010
Model April 2010 April 2009 % change
1 Vauxhall Astra 4444 3300 34.7
2 Ford Focus 4341 7381 -41.2
3 VW Golf 3827 2742 39.6
4 Vauxhall Corsa 3376 5650 -40.3
5 Ford Fiesta 3278 4504 -27.2
6 Vauxhall Zafira 1930 1661 16.2
7 Nissan Qashqai 1679 1400 21.2
8Audi A3 1667 1036 60.9
9 Vauxhall Insignia 1666 2396 -30.5
10 VW Passat 1614 1430 12.9

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