Total car sales increased last year — for the first time in six years.

But the total figure of 932 vehicles is still 54 percent down from pre-recession 2007, when 2,016 cars left the showrooms.

There were 39 more cars sold last year than in 2012 and ten more than the year before that.

And buyers have shifted to smaller, lower-taxed and more fuel efficient transport as the global slump continues to bite.

Michael Butler, general manager of Bermuda Motors, which sells seven marques, including top-selling Kia, took almost half the market share last year, said: “The figures for the industry overall show that car sales have remained basically the same for the last three years and will probably stay at that level for the next two years.”

He added: “The numbers indicate commuters are increasingly choosing smaller cars as vehicles in licence class B and E accounted for 444, or 48 percent, of vehicles sold.”

The best-selling car in Bermuda was the Class B Kia Picanto hatchback, with 153 cars sold, nearly 70 percent of the class total.

Its stablemate, the Class E Kia Rio compact sedan, topped its size section, with 106 cars sold, almost half of its market segment, while the Kia Soul, a larger hatchback, topped Class F sales with a fifth (44 cars) of its class total.

The figures mean that the marque accounted for more than a third (36 percent) of all cars sold in 2013 — 14 percent ahead of its nearest competitor.

The Toyota Avanza — also sold by Bermuda Motors — was the firm’s fourth best-seller, with a total of 27 vehicles sold over the year.

Sales of the cars helped push Bermuda Motors to the top spot for car dealers — taking 46 percent of the market with 426 cars sold, compared to nearest rivals HWP, which became Auto Solutions last year, which took a 36 percent share of sales with 334 cars.

Mr Butler said: “Naturally, we are delighted to again be Bermuda’s favourite car dealership. We think the figures reflect our dedication to providing quality cars that offer good value for money along with superior customer and after-sales service.”

He added: “The continued success of Kia cars is a reflection of their consistent quality right across the range and the fact that they back that up with a five-year warranty — no one else in Bermuda offers that kind of guarantee.

“In addition, we back that up with fixed price servicing on all Kia cars — again something no one else offers in Bermuda, which really offers value for money in the current economic climate.”

TCD figures showed Bermuda Motors, which also sells Mini, BMW, Fiat, Ford and Chery cars, and Auto Solutions took 82 percent of the market share in car sales.

Eurocar came next with ten percent of the market (97 cars), with Rayclan in fourth spot with 65 vehicles sold and seven percent of the total number of cars sold.

Continental Motors sold three cars, while other car dealers sold seven between them to take just one percent of the new car market for the year.