A new-entry hatchback took top spot in Dealer Auction’s Retail Margin Monitor sub-£10,000 retail bracket for the first time: the petrol Renault Clio.
It was joined by other hatchbacks – the diesel BMW 1 Series in third and the petrol Peugeot 208 in ninth.
Dealer Auction’s Marketplace Director, Kieran TeeBoon, said: “After spending months in the shadow of SUVs, hatchbacks are back!
“Their profit performance will be food for thought for dealers, as competition for quality stock intensifies. It certainly shows how fast today’s market is moving – dealers can’t just rely on last year’s top performers!”
Compact models also disrupted the over-£10,000 retail bracket in January 2026, with new entries from the Vauxhall Corsa, Hyundai i10 and i20 helping the hatches take 40% of the model share.
SUVs still performed well – the Peugeot 2008 – 2025’s top profit-maker – secured the fourth spot.
The Nissan Qashqai continued its strong profit performance in both retail brackets, shifting in 26 days on average.
The Land Rover Discovery Sport, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan ruled the over-£10,000 bracket, with the Discovery Sport being the top performer with an average margin of £3,990.
Dealer Auction’s new ‘Best Buy’ metric identified the MG ZS as the top hidden gem in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket for January 2026, while the all-electric all-star Nissan LEAF was one to watch.
At brand level, BMW took the crown in the top 10 makes for models with a retail value of under £10,000, followed by Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.
TeeBoon said: “With so many different forces at play, it’s no time to be complacent. Dealers – particularly independents who build their business on second and third-owner vehicles – are having to use all their experience and knowledge, as well as the data that’s available to them, to embrace these evolving market dynamics.”
