The UK registered 94,236 new cars in August 2026, up 13.7% on August 2025 and the best August the market has recorded since the biannual plate change began, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT, 4 September 2026). It is the ninth consecutive month of growth.
29.8% battery-electric, the second-highest month of the year
Battery-electric registrations reached 28,063 units, up 27.7% year on year and a 29.8% share of the month, the second-highest monthly BEV share of 2026 after July. SMMT is upfront about why: August is a low-volume month, so percentage swings get amplified, and this is the same seasonal pattern the UK has seen every August since 2023. Plug-in hybrids grew 39.8% to 13,707 units and 14.5%, hybrids grew 26.3% to 11,940 units and 12.7% (Tyrepress corroboration).
Private demand led the growth
Private registrations rose 19.0% to take 40.8% of the month, faster growth than fleet, which rose 10.1% but still carried the larger 57.2% share. The Ford Puma was August's best-selling model with 2,795 units, ahead of the Jaecoo 7 and the MG HS, two Chinese-brand entries in the top three.
September is the real test
SMMT's own framing for this release was "EVs lift August new car market but September is key test." September is the UK's biggest plate-change month and the best single read on whether the ZEV mandate gap is closing. Year to date, BEVs stand at 355,746 units, a 25.62% share, against a 33% mandate line for the full year. August's strong percentage does not change that gap; September's volume will.
Open the live UK dashboard for the monthly bars and the BEV share trend back to 2015.