UK car buyers are snapping up Korean motors more than any other European nation according to the latest research released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT).

The figures have been released on the even of a trade mission by the SMMT to Korea, where they will be promoting the virtues of British car brands to the peninsula, and opening doors for exports out of the UK.

But it is Korean imports into this country which is the biggest headline currently, Hyundai, Kia and SsangYong are all proving popular with British customers, more than 190,000 Korean-branded cars sold in the UK in 2017. Korean cars take up 7.5 per cent of the new car market, a significant rise on the 2.5 per cent of 10 years ago. The strength of the British car buying public puts it as the third biggest importer of Korean motors, behind China and Japan.

In promising news for UK producers, the feeling appears to be a mutual love-in. While imports of Korean-buot cars have grown 93 per cent in the past decade, there has also been a four-fold rise in UK produced cars being exported to Korea, with 20,000 units in 2017.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Britain is one of the most important global markets for Korean manufacturers, and vice-versa, with consumers in both countries benefiting from a huge choice of cutting-edge models.

“With the UK’s reputation for world-class engineering, and its position as a test bed for the next generation of connected, autonomous and zero emission vehicles, strengthening our trade links with global automotive leaders such as Korea can only bring mutual success.”

Top 5 cars from Korean brands in Britain

1: Kia Sportage

2: Hyundai Tucson

3: Hyundai i10

4: Kia Picanto

5: Hyundai i20

Top 5 cars exported from Britain to Korea

1: Mini

2: Land Rover Discovery Sport

3: Land Rover Discovery

4: Range Rover Evoque

5: Jaguar XF

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