The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) released the April 2026 UK new-car registration data in early May, and almost every metric pointed up. The headline: 149,247 new cars registered, +24.0% year-on-year: the strongest April performance since 2019, before the pandemic hit (SMMT, May 2026). It has shifted the SMMT's full-year forecast from 2.048 million cars to 2.093 million.
Where the Growth Came From
Fleet led the way. Fleet registrations grew +26.8% to 90,462 cars, which is more than 60% of the April market. Private retail came in at +20.2% with 56,116 deliveries, and the small-business segment rose 15% to 2,669. The comparison is flattered by the base: SMMT notes that April 2025 was unusually weak after that month's tax changes.
Private retail's 20%+ growth is the more interesting signal. Consumer demand had been muted through 2024 and most of 2025; the April reading suggests the back half of 2026 could see meaningful retail recovery if interest rates and inflation continue easing.
The Two-Millionth EV
Somewhere on a UK road in April 2026, the two-millionth battery-electric car was registered. The cumulative BEV total reached 2,012,758, with monthly BEV growth at +59.1% year-on-year and BEV share of registrations at 26.2%. That is a serious number, well clear of where the UK was 18 months ago, and it is being driven by both the ZEV mandate and a steady drumbeat of new affordable models entering the market from brands such as BYD, MG and Renault.
Plug-in hybrids posted their own surge: +46.4% YoY at 13.8% market share. Hybrid-electric (HEV) rose 18.8% to 13.2%. Together, electrified powertrains (BEV + PHEV + HEV) accounted for 53.2% of UK April registrations, over half the market for the second month running.
What the SMMT Lowered
The full-year market forecast got upgraded, but the BEV-share component got downgraded. SMMT now expects 2026 BEV share to land at 26.8%, down from the 28.5% they were projecting in January. Why the trim? SMMT points to weaker expectations for EV demand after an underperforming first quarter, energy, production and charging costs that remain high, and natural demand that is still well below the level the mandate requires.
For context: 26.8% would still be the highest annual BEV share the UK has ever recorded, comfortably ahead of the 19.6% the country closed 2024 with.
Reading the Run-Rate
March and April together were strong months for the UK market. SMMT's revised forecast of 2.093 million cars would, if it is met, make 2026 the strongest UK car market since 2019. That is a meaningful recovery story, even if the medium-term picture (post-2030 ICE phase-out, the EV charging gap, used-EV depreciation) is still complex.
Open the UK dashboard on AutoNergy to see the monthly bars, fuel-mix split, and brand leaderboard.