UK new car registrations rose 24% in April 2026 — BEV share hit 26.2%
The UK new-car market grew for the eighth consecutive month in April 2026, with SMMT registering 149,247 new passenger cars — a 24.0% jump on April 2025's 120,331 units. The headline-grabbing figure was the BEV mix: 39,084 battery-electric registrations (+59.1% YoY) lifted the BEV share of the month to 26.2%, well above the 22% ZEV-mandate target for the calendar year. Year-to-date 2026 the UK has registered 764,101 new cars.
April 2026 — UK headline numbers
| Metric | April 2026 | vs April 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Total new car registrations | 149,247 | +24.0% |
| BEV registrations | 39,084 | +59.1% |
| BEV share | 26.2% | +5.7 pp |
| YTD 2026 total | 764,101 | see below |
Top 5 best-selling models — April 2026
| Rank | Model | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Puma | 4,211 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 3,645 |
What's driving the BEV jump
Three factors compounded in April: continued aggressive manufacturer-funded BEV discounting in response to the ZEV mandate (which we covered in our UK ZEV mandate explainer), a weak April 2025 BEV comparator (~24,500 units), and a fresh wave of Chinese-brand launches (BYD Seal U, MG ZS EV refresh, Xpeng G6) at competitive price points.
Year-to-date context
UK 2026 monthly cadence so far: January 144,127, February 90,100, March 380,627 (plate change), April 149,247 — for a YTD total of 764,101. The next major month is September (the second plate change). With BEV share already running 3-4 percentage points above the ZEV target, the UK market is on track to comfortably exceed the 22% calendar-year requirement.
Source & methodology
All figures verified against the SMMT April 2026 monthly release. Powertrain definitions follow SMMT's classification. The full year-to-date trend chart, brand share and powertrain mix sit on the UK dashboard. Verified 2026-05-15.