UK Car Registrations

Data Transportation

Source: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
Source Link: https://www.smmt.co.uk/
Frequency: Monthly
Next Release(s): September 4th, 2025 4:00 AM

Latest Updates

UK new car registrations fell -5.0% YoY in July 2025 to 140,154 units, the weakest July since 2022 and -10.8% below July 2019 levels. Despite this, YTD volumes are up +2.4% to 1.18 million, with the full-year outlook revised up to 1.9 million units.
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations rose +9.1% YoY (21.3% market share), a slowdown from +34.6% YoY in H1; PHEV registrations jumped +33.0% YoY.
- Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) registrations dropped -10.0% YoY to 18,551 units.
- Petrol and diesel vehicle registrations fell -14.0% YoY to 74,289 units, holding a combined 53.0% market share.
- Private and fleet sales declined -3.2% and -6.5% YoY respectively, while business registrations rose +10.4% YoY.
- BEV market share remains below the 28% ZEV Mandate target, with the Electric Car Grant still pending full model eligibility.
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UK new car registrations rose +6.7% YoY in June 2025 to 191,316 units, the strongest June since 2019 and lifting H1 volumes +3.5% YoY, though still -17.9% below pre-Covid levels.
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged +39.1% YoY to 47,354 units (24.8% market share), while PHEVs rose +28.8% YoY to 21,382 units.
- Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) registrations fell -8.5% YoY to 23,835 units.
- Petrol car registrations declined -4.2% YoY; diesel was flat at +0.2% YoY, with ICE vehicles holding 51.6% market share.
- BEV market share for H1 2025 stands at 21.6%, well below the 28% mandated target.
- Total electrified vehicle registrations (HEV, PHEV, BEV) reached 48.5% market share in June.
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UK new car registrations rose +1.6% YoY in May 2025 to 150,070 units, the strongest May since 2021 but still -18.3% below May 2019 levels.
- Fleet and business registrations rose +3.7% and +14.4% YoY, respectively, while private registrations fell -2.3% YoY.
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations rose +25.8% YoY to 21.8% market share but remain below the 28% mandate (20.9% YTD).
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations surged +50.8% YoY; hybrids (HEVs) rose +6.8% YoY.
- Petrol and diesel vehicle registrations declined -12.5% and -15.5% YoY, respectively.
- Electrified vehicles (HEV, PHEV, BEV) collectively made up 47.3% of the market in May.
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UK new car registrations fell -10.4% YoY in April to 120,331 units, marking the sixth decline in the past seven months.
- Registrations declined across all buyer types: private (-7.9%), fleet (-11.9%), and business (-10.9%).
- BEV registrations rose 8.1% YoY to 24,558 units, reaching 20.4% market share but still below the 28% target under the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
- PHEV sales jumped 34.1% YoY, while HEVs fell -2.9% YoY and petrol and diesel vehicles dropped -22.0% and -26.2%, respectively.
- YTD market is up 3.1%, with BEV registrations up 35.2%, but industry calls for stronger government incentives to support EV demand.
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UK car registrations grew 12.4% YoY in March during plate change month as private retail buyers slowly return.
- This growth, in the most important month of the year for the new car market, builds on the March 2024 performance, where uptake rose by 10.4% YoY. As a result, this year’s ‘new plate’ month represents the best March performance since 2019.
- Fleet registrations rose 11.5%, while business buyers decreased by a marginal -0.3%. There was also a recovery in private buyer uptake following last year’s lackluster performance, with a 14.5% rise in registrations.
- Battery electric car uptake rises to highest ever volume at 69,313 units but 19.4% market share still below target set by Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
- Industry maintains call for accelerated regulatory review and government incentives to raise demand to required level.
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UK new car registrations were down -1.0% YoY to 84,886 in February, an improvement over -2.9% YoY in January.
- Gas-powered car registrations were down -17.3% YoY and market share fell below 50% to 47.4%.
- Battery-power car registrations surged 41.7% YoY and market share increased 7.6 ppts to 25.3%.
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Total UK new car registrations fell -2.5% YoY in January, down from the -0.2% YoY decline reported in December.
- Gas-powered car registrations fell -15.3% YoY, losing substantial market share to start 2025.
- Battery powered electric vehicles saw sales surge 41.6% YoY which caused its market share in January to increase from 14.7% in 2024 to 21.3% in 2025.
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New UK car registrations in December were 140,786, or down -0.2% YoY. When segmented by car type, diesel and petrol registrations were down -27.4% YoY and -20.9% YoY while battery EV registrations jumped 56.8% YoY. Business registrations increased 9.6% YoY offsetting the -1.7% YoY decline in private registrations.

In 2024, UK registrations were up 2.6% vs last year but still well below pre-pandemic levels.

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