The United Kingdom registered 2,020,520 new cars in 2025 according to SMMT, 6 January 2026, up 3.5% on 2024 and above two million for the first time since the pandemic, though still below the 2016 peak. The market is structurally smaller, fleet-heavy, and increasingly electrified.
BEV Share Reaches 23.4%
BEVs took 23.4% of UK new car registrations in 2025, 473,348 cars, up from 19.6% in 2024. The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate's 2025 headline target was 28%, which the market missed; manufacturers can use the mandate's flexibilities to limit penalty exposure.
Tesla Model Y: UK's #1 EV
The Tesla Model Y remained the UK's best-selling EV in 2025 (24,298 units) but slipped out of the top 10 overall. The Ford Puma (55,488), Kia Sportage (47,788) and Nissan Qashqai (41,141) led the all-cars table. In 2024 the Model Y had been fifth overall.
Brand-Level: A Tight Table
The UK brand table is tightly bunched, with Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Toyota, Kia and Ford among the leaders and no brand far ahead. Fleet buyers took 59.1% of registrations and private buyers 38.6%.
Two Plate-Change Months Drive the Year
March and September, the two plate-change months, are by far the largest months of the UK car year. The plate-change cycle is the most distinctive feature of the UK market versus continental Europe.
See the UK regional and fuel-type evolution on the UK dashboard.