Diesel collapsed. Electric arrived.

Every new car's power source, stacked by share each year.

Seasonality

Monthly share of annual sales.

Raw
Data

, rows · 17y

How many new cars were registered in the UK in August 2026?

The UK registered 94,236 new cars in August 2026, up 13.7% year on year and the best August since the biannual plate change began, taking the 2026 total to 1,388,735, up 9.8%, according to the SMMT. Battery-electric cars took 28,063 registrations and a 29.8% share, up 27.7% year on year; plug-in hybrids took 14.5%, hybrids 12.7%, petrol 38.3% and diesel 4.8%. Year to date, BEVs total 355,746, a 25.62% share. The Ford Puma was August's best-selling car with 2,795 registrations, ahead of the Jaecoo 7 and the MG HS. August is a low-volume month before the September plate change, so percentage swings are amplified, a pattern SMMT has flagged every August since 2023. This dashboard tracks SMMT data from 2015 with brand share, fuel mix, the regional split and the March and September plate peaks. Last verified on 28 September 2026; SMMT publishes September in early October.