The Ford Fiesta was the best selling used car of the fourth quarter of 2009, it has been reported.

Ford and Vauxhall still dominate the used car market, with the Vauxhall Corsa in second place, followed by the Ford Focus and fourth place taken by the Vauxhall Astra, according to data from Experian Automotive.

Despite this, BMW was the only industry manufacturer to see an increase in sales across all used car models for the entire year.

Experian Automotive found that used car sales hit record lows in 2009, with a drop of 5.7 per cent during the year.

The biggest decrease in used car sales was noted by in the mini segment, featuring cars such as the Fiat Seicento and Daewoo Matiz, which fell by 9.1 per cent in 2009.

Continuing the trend from the previous year, the supermini segment of the market was the best selling, which includes the cars ranking first and second for overall used car sales.

The popularity of the supermini segment has helped reduced CO2 emission levels in the new car market.

Superminis accounted for the majority of cars sold during the scrappage scheme, resulting in the average new car bought emitting just 133.3g/km.

The government-funded scrappage scheme has resulted in fewer used car sales in 2009, it has been reported.

Research from Experian Automotive, which provides data to organisations within the motor industry, shows that used car sales were at their lowest level since 2000.

Annual sales fell by 5.7 per cent to 6,798,864, which was a similar level to that experienced a decade ago.

The scrappage scheme and the recession are to blame for the drop in sales, according to Experian Automotive’s managing director, Kirk Fletcher.

Buyers, who would normally have considered buying a used car, actually bought a new one through the scrappage initiative instead.

The scheme has also affected the number of used cars on the market, as cars are being scrapped rather than sold on as is the case with other part-exchanged vehicles.

Mr Fletcher also said people were holding onto cars for longer as, due to the recession, they cannot afford to buy new ones.

The successful scrappage scheme is coming to an end in the UK this month. It was implemented by the government after the Budget last year to provide a short-term boost to new car sales.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is being urged to make subscription to Motor Codes part of the VOSA assessment criteria for MOT centres.

More than 6,200 garages in the UK already subscribe to the Service and Repair Code, which is operated by Motor Codes and supported by the government, consumer bodies and the industry.

Chairman of the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF), Jonas Zambakides, told the DfT that the independent service and repair sector was "crying out" for a good and cost-effective way of self-regulating and Motor Codes could offer it.

MOT service centres are reliant on reputation and trust and the motor industry could benefit from the improved reputation gained by Motor Codes subscription, he said.

Motor Codes recently announced its shortlisted top 50 Golden Garages in the UK for car servicing and repairs.

The competition was launched after research from the self-regulatory body found that more than 14 million motorists felt short-changed by their local service and repair garage.

It also found that those using Motor Codes’ approved garages were satisfied with their service 90 per cent of the time.

MasterFit, Vauxhall’s vehicle servicing network, is offering a range of upgrades on Vauxhalls of any age as part of its Customer Promise commitments.

From April this year, MasterFit will be offering a price promise on its services too, which ensures customers will pay the best price for like-for-like products at any network workshop.

All vehicles will have a 25-point safety check performed on them at all routine services before they are returned to their owner.

Vauxhall customers will also benefit from the free-fitting of windscreen wiper blades and exterior lighting bulbs, as well as the car being washed and vacuumed.

MasterFit already has a six-point Customer Promise in place which includes courtesy pick-up and drop off of the vehicle and advice on work the vehicle requires, among other things.

Andrew Curley, MasterFit manager, said that most used car owners take their vehicles to independent garages for servicing rather than the manufacturer’s franchised service centres.

He hopes these new enhancements to MasterFit will mean Vauxhall customers take advantage of the added extras on offer to them.

Vauxhall also offers a network of approved bodyshops for any damage caused by accidents, offering its customers guaranteed quality of repairs.

The recession is to thank for the lower new car emission levels recorded last year, it has been claimed.

CO2 emissions from the average new car decreased by a record margin, falling by 5.4 per cent compared with 2008 figures and 21.2 per cent from the 1997 base levels.

Head of communications for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, Neil Wallis, said the reduction in levels was due to the combined impact of the recession and government-funded scrappage scheme, which ends this month.

European Union (EU) regulation has also been a driving force behind the reduction as it will be costly for the car industry if it does not meet the EU targets, he said.

The economic downturn has caused people to look at ways of reducing their driving costs and one way of achieving this is through buying smaller cars, which are in lower car tax bands and are also more eco-friendly, reducing CO2 emissions.

Despite the worldwide economic crisis, the BMW group posted positive earnings for 2009.

The group’s pre-tax profits were up by 17.7 per cent to €413 million (£375 million) last year.

Some 1,286,310 cars were sold by the group, which includes the BMW, Mini Cooper and Rolls-Royce brands.

In the premium segment of the car market the group increased its market share due to its strong performance, allowing it to remain as the world’s leading premium manufacturer.

The BMW group is confident, despite the current economic climate, that its profitability will continue to increase in 2010 with the release of new models in its ranges.

BMW’s 5-series model recently won the accolade of Most Highly Anticipated Car of the Year 2010 in a website survey.

Going on sale later this month, 20 per cent of voters in the poll conducted by Contract Hire and Leasing website chose the German manufacturer’s new 5-series saloon.

Some 68 per cent of people believe mandatory retesting for drivers over the age of 70 should be introduced in the UK, according to the results of a new survey.

The results of the poll conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) also showed that 73 per cent of those surveyed would report an elderly friend or relative to the authorities over their driving standards.

However, conversely, 77 per cent of the 1,628 questioned by IAM also believed young drivers posed a greater risk to road safety than older ones.

The IAM said that providing advice and assessments for elderly drivers could do more to improve driving skills than taking away driving licences from over 70s.

Director of policy and research at the IAM, Neil Greig, said that elderly drivers "do not represent a disproportionate risk" on the roads.

He added that only eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are only involved in four per cent of injury crashes on the road.

This figure is comparatively less than teenage drivers and those in their 20s who actually account for 34 per cent of injury crashes.

Car production in 2009 was at its lowest level in Europe since 1996, it has been reported.

The report from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed that, compared with 2008, European production levels decreased by 17.3 per cent.

They were also lower than the pre-economic crisis levels of 2007, which were 23 per cent higher than those in 2009.

Passenger car production levels were at their lowest in 14 years with production 13 per cent lower, which brought the number of cars produced down to 13.4 million units across Europe.

Demand for passenger cars was boosted by fleet renewal and scrappage schemes in the EU, however, sales fell by 1.3 per cent last year.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, production levels of cars were up by 22.8 per cent on the last quarter of 2008, according to figures from the ACEA, which represents the interests of European car, truck and bus manufacturers at EU-level.

National road safety charity, Brake, has called for ring-fenced funding for road safety campaigns.

Funding will be provided to road safety schemes as well as congestion relief schemes from the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF), which was announced by the government as the replacement for the Congestion Transport Innovation Fund (CTIF).

However, Brake wants committed, increased funding, which is ring-fenced for new road safety initiatives.

It believes more should be done to lower speed limits in community safety zones and provide better safety facilities such as more pedestrian crossings and cycle paths.

Last week, it was announced that the government would be focussing less narrowly on its congestion charge policy and instead looking to a wider range of schemes to improve the roads.

UCF funding for projects to tackle congestion and reduce CO2 emissions can now be received by councils without the need for them to implement charges for road users.

Previously, councils seeking investment for initiatives had to go through the CTIF, which required them to enforce local road pricing to qualify for the funding.

A new, free car buying service, likened to personal shopping, is set to be launched this month.

Hoping to end the monotonous process of searching endlessly through cars, Car Enquiry claims it will be able to bring the customer their ideal choice.

The customer tells the website what they want then it searches dealers across the UK for a suitable car, bringing the findings directly to the customer.

Car Enquiry searches for both new and used cars, using only accredited dealers and franchises, to guarantee the genuine history of the car is provided to the buyer.

It does not reveal the buyer’s details to the dealer either until a decision has been made.

When the buyer finds their ideal car, Car Enquiry puts them in contact with the dealer directly for them to arrange anything they want, for example, a test drive.

The website has been established so that the public can buy and sell cars in a safe environment getting the best deals only from reputable dealers.