Goodbye Ford Mondeo? Perhaps not quite yet but the Mondeo - and a range of other well-known family cars that used to commonly litter UK driveways - are now under attack from smaller hatchback upstarts and multi-purpose vehicles, claims new research from Aviva.

And there's been some major gender-swopping behind the wheel too.


Booted out

But first, why has the family car fallen out of favour? It's about size, practicality and costs says the insurer. "As motoring costs increase and with greater demand for fuel efficiency, families are increasingly opting for two small cars or a small car and an MPV hybrid."

It adds: "The most common car type combinations in 2011 were Small Family Cars (VW Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra) with Mini/Compact cars (Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa)."

And in 1981? Think Ford Cortina, Escort, Fiesta, Austin Metro and Morris Ital. In 1991 Vauxhall managed to get two models, the Astra and Cavalier, into the top five best-seller list. But by 2001, the switch to smaller cars was firmly in place. Not one family-sized saloon to be seen anywhere in the top five.

"The tendency has been that when a manufacturer replaces a model with a new-generation car, it tends to be taller, wider, bigger," says Adrian Rushmore, managing editor from car value company Glass's Information Services "That's happening all the time. The [Mondeo] market won't disappear altogether. It's still a major sector in its own right. But the biggest sectors are now the supermini and lower-medium sectors."

Aspiration matters - a lot

In other words, Fiesta/Polo and Focus/Golf. Rushmore adds that the demise of the Mondeo sector - which includes model names like the Insignia, Passat and Laguna - "has been accelerated by the rise of premium brands; the BMW 3 series and the Audi A4. The BMW 3 -series is now in the top 10 and it outsells the Mondeo."

Meanwhile men are increasingly likely to be found driving smaller superminis, like the Fiesta, while multi-tasking women pilot people carriers and larger SUVs, says Aviva.

"Since 2010 the big car/small car gender divide had changed completely. Two thirds of Fiesta drivers are now men. Women are increasingly opting for large, modern alternatives, and are more likely than men to drive big SUV and 4x4 hybrids such as the Citroen Picasso and the Toyota RAV4."