UK new car registrations rose 13.7% in August 2026, the best August on record

The UK registered 94,236 new cars in August 2026, up 13.7% on August 2025, the best August the market has recorded since the biannual plate change began and the ninth consecutive month of growth. Battery-electric vehicles took a 29.8% share, the second-highest monthly figure of 2026, in a month SMMT itself describes as seasonally amplified by low volume (SMMT, 4 September 2026).

August 2026 headline numbers

Metric	August 2026	Share
Total new car registrations	94,236	+13.7% YoY
BEV	28,063	29.8%
PHEV	13,707	14.5%
HEV	11,940	12.7%
Petrol	36,048	38.3%
Diesel	4,478	4.8%

Year to date, January to August 2026

Metric	YTD 2026	Share
Total registrations	1,388,735	+9.8%
BEV	355,746	25.62%
PHEV	185,198	13.34%
HEV	194,327	13.99%

Read the 29.8% carefully

SMMT's own release names the mechanism: August represents about 4% of annual registrations, so a relatively small shift in BEV volume moves the percentage more than the same shift would in a high-volume month like March or September. SMMT calls this a recurring seasonal spike seen every August since 2023, not a step change in demand. Private registrations rose 19.0% versus fleet's 10.1%, so at least part of the underlying story is real; the size of the headline number is not.

September is the real test

The UK's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate asks for a 33% battery-electric share across calendar 2026. Year to date sits at 25.62%. September is a plate-change month and the best available read on whether that gap narrows, because it carries enough volume that percentage swings mean what they say. Later data: on SMMT's preliminary figures September 2026 registrations rose 12.1% to 350,518 with a record 99,199 BEVs, a 28.3% share, taking the year to date to 26.2% (SMMT, 2 October 2026).

Source and methodology

Figures from the SMMT August 2026 release, published 4 September 2026, and independently corroborated by Tyrepress. Powertrain definitions follow SMMT classification. The live trend chart, brand share and powertrain mix sit on the UK dashboard.