Golf tops contract hire charts

You can’t keep the good old Golf down, the Volkswagen car is still the most popular car to contract hire, according to the UK’s leading car leasing website, ContractHireAndLeasing.com.

The unstoppable Golf was the most commonly searched for car on the industry leading website throughout 2008 and 2009. Now five months into 2010 the Golf is still reigning supreme.

This time last year the website released details of its top ten most searched for cars and revealed that the German carmakers were still dominating the contract hire and leasing market. Exactly 12 months later the German brands retain their top position within the leasing market, claiming six out of the top ten most searched for models. Much of the market remains dominated by familiar contract hire favourites as the Golf, which is followed in second place by the Mercedes C-Class saloon and the Audi A5 in third. Other German cars favourites include the likes of the BMW 3-Series and 5-series cars and the Audi A3.

One change since last year appears to be the fall from grace of the Ford Fiesta, as the model exits the top ten for the first time in two years. This may well be down to price increases introduced at the start of the year and a lack of strong contract hire deals.

“The Golf seems almost a permanent fixture now as our top search,” jokes Richard Lawton, spokesperson for ContractHireAndLeasing.com.

“The Golf is still number one because it offers the near perfect combination of strong residuals, space, practicality and prestige. And with a wide range of models to choose from, the Golf has the ‘everyman’ appeal that business and personal contract hire customers find irresistible without compromising on the sense of status.