Skip advert
Advertisement

Poll says Volvo offers the UK's best-looking car range

Volvo has the best-designed cars on the road right now, according to a new poll of British motorists by Carbuyer

A Carbuyer poll has named Volvo as having the best-looking range of cars on sale in the UK, beating off stiff competition in what was a very close race – and the full poll results speak volumes about what buyers love and hate about the way cars look.

With over 1,000 votes cast, Volvo took the top spot, narrowly beating Land Rover. However, its victory could easily have been more slight; not only could participants place a positive vote for a favourite brand, but could downvote others, and this made for interesting reading in the overall results.

While Volvo and Land Rover received roughly twice as many positive votes as negative, fourth-placed Mercedes saw an almost exact split for and against. Fifth-placed Audi saw more downvotes than positive votes, and this was true of many other manufacturers – including so-called ‘premium’ brands.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The lower reaches of the results table are particularly revealing – MINI finished last overall, with roughly three times as many downvotes as positives. Could this mean that buyers are tiring of the brand's retro-led style? Perhaps design touches such as Union Jack tail lights are that little bit too divisive?

Designing a car is inherently difficult because it’s so tough to please everybody, and naturally not all designs prove popular. Toyota, for instance, which has introduced a very angular, knife-edge style to models such as the Toyota C-HR crossover and Toyota Prius hybrid, languishes in 13th place, with twice as many downvotes as upvotes.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

By contrast, Mazda, which employs a more traditional front grille and curvaceous form across much of its range, sits pretty in third place with almost 50% more upvotes than downvotes. Skoda's mid-table finish was perhaps expected of a brand that doesn't tend to court design controversy, while Kia's finish in 8th place is an impressive result for a brand which is typically better known for value than style.

Mazda's third-place finish, Volvo's overall win and MINI's unenviable last-place finish suggests that there was more to the voting than simple brand favoritism. BMW, whose cars are usually regarded as desirable, finished in 15th place. This seems a surprising result, given that its range includes models like the M4 Coupe, and such futuristic designs as the electrified BMW i3 and BMW i8.

With UK car sales figures yet to satisfy industry targets for 2018, an appealing product range is the most important thing a manufacturer can offer.

Here are the Carbuyer 2018 car design poll results in full:

Final standingManufacturer
1Volvo
2Land Rover
3Mazda
4Mercedes
5Audi
6Peugeot
7SEAT
8Kia
9Skoda
10Renault
11Ford
12Nissan
13Toyota
14Honda
15BMW
16Volkswagen
17Vauxhall
18Citroen
19Hyundai
20MINI
Skip advert
Advertisement

Richard is a former editor of Carbuyer, as well as sister site DrivingElectric.com, and he's now Deputy Editor at Auto Express. Having spent a decade working in the automotive industry, he understands exactly what makes new car buyers tick.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

New Volvo EM90 revealed – a super-luxury electric MPV
Volvo EM90 front quarter view
News
13 Nov 2023

New Volvo EM90 revealed – a super-luxury electric MPV

New Volvo EM90 sees the Swedish brand take on the luxury MPV class
Volvo EM90 MPV
News
24 Aug 2023

New Volvo EM90 sees the Swedish brand take on the luxury MPV class

Most Popular

New Polestar 4 coupe SUV – how is the £60k EV shaping up?
Polestar 4 Prototype drive front quarter
News
22 Mar 2024

New Polestar 4 coupe SUV – how is the £60k EV shaping up?

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s top car offers
Carbuyer best new car deals hero
Deals
28 Mar 2024

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s top car offers

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Tips & advice

View All
Car dashboard warning lights: the complete guide
Car dashboard symbols and meanings
Tips and advice
26 Mar 2024

Car dashboard warning lights: the complete guide

Electric car charging stations: a complete guide
Public EV charge point
Tips and advice
11 Jan 2023

Electric car charging stations: a complete guide

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?
PCP vs HP
Tips and advice
17 May 2022

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Best cars

View All
Top 10 best car interiors
Peugeot 208 hatchback
Best cars
25 Jun 2021

Top 10 best car interiors

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
best electric cars
Best cars
28 Mar 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024
The best cheap-to-run cars 2023
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024
Fastest hot hatchbacks hero
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024