AN AUOTCAR magazine investigation has lifted the lid on industry documents that show what private buyers really spend their money on - and it is a very different story from the picture car manufacturers paint.

The official top ten includes fleet sales - cars bought in bulk as company cars. A staggering 56 per cent of new cars sold in Britain are company vehicles - bought not for quality, desirability or handling, but because of discounts, future values and running costs.

Strip away these business sales and you are left with the real top ten. Every car at the top of the retail chart is a supermini or city car, except the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. The premium BMW Mini makes eighth slot.

It is proof that superminis are the most popular private purchase as consumers downsize to smaller cars, which are invariably cheaper to run, insure and repair.

Steve Sutcliffe, Autocar editor, said: “Our research shows that the chancellor shouldn’t be hammering Britain’s motorists. They are already the most heavily taxed motorists in Europe and are switching to smaller, more efficient cars.

"The UK’s enthusiasm for cars has not been dulled by extortionate taxes, rising insurance costs and road charges as the Government had wished. The car remains the number one choice for transport in the UK.”