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Published 9 Sept 2026
How many new passenger cars are registered in the UK each year?
New passenger car registrations in the United Kingdom (UK) exceeded 2 million units in 2025, the first time the market passed that threshold since the pandemic.
- This marked the third consecutive year of recovery for the UK new car market.
- Compared with the 2016 peak of about 2.69 million registrations, the 2025 market remained roughly one-quarter lower.
How much of the UK passenger car market is made up of battery-electric cars?
Battery-electric vehicles continued to grow in the UK new car market in 2025.
- Battery-electric cars accounted for about 23.4% of UK new car registrations in 2025, with around 473,000 registrations.
- Official Department for Transport (DfT) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data recorded 473,226 zero-emission cars registered for the first time in 2025, representing 22.8% of all new road-using car registrations.
How do new passenger car sales compare with used car sales in the UK?
The used car market continued to outpace the new car market in 2025, with 7.81 million used car transactions compared with just over 2 million new car registrations.
- This represents a ratio of about 1 new car registration for every 3.9 used car transactions.
- Total used car transactions rose by about 2.2% from 7.64 million in 2024 to 7.81 million in 2025.
Note: The new-to-used ratio divides used car transactions by new car registrations.
What are the top-selling passenger car manufacturers in the UK?
- In the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) latest public year-to-date data, covering January to May 2026, Volkswagen led the UK new car market with 73,988 registrations.
- Kia ranked second with 52,493 registrations, followed by BMW with 51,110, Ford with 47,915, and Audi with 47,231.
| Top-selling Car Manufacturers in the UK (January–May 2026) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Manufacturer | Jan–May 2026 registrations | Market share 2026 | Jan–May 2025 registrations | Market share 2025 |
| 1 | Volkswagen | 73,988 | 8.00% | 77,192 | 9.07% |
| 2 | Kia | 52,493 | 5.68% | 51,962 | 6.11% |
| 3 | BMW | 51,110 | 5.53% | 52,972 | 6.23% |
| 4 | Ford | 47,915 | 5.18% | 50,198 | 5.90% |
| 5 | Audi | 47,231 | 5.11% | 43,914 | 5.16% |
| 6 | Mercedes | 41,837 | 4.52% | 39,872 | 4.69% |
| 7 | Vauxhall | 41,404 | 4.48% | 39,549 | 4.65% |
| 8 | MG | 38,346 | 4.15% | 35,055 | 4.12% |
| 9 | Skoda | 37,296 | 4.03% | 35,489 | 4.17% |
| 10 | Toyota | 36,576 | 3.96% | 37,926 | 4.46% |
Source · Note: Manufacturer rankings use SMMT year-to-date data for January to May 2026.
What are the most popular passenger car models in the UK?
- In SMMT’s latest public year-to-date data, covering January to May 2026, the Ford Puma was the UK’s most popular new car with 24,358 registrations.
- The Kia Sportage ranked second with 21,274 registrations, followed by the Jaecoo 7 with 20,695, the Nissan Qashqai with 18,558, and the Vauxhall Corsa with 15,863.
| Top 5 Most Popular Car Models in the UK (January–May 2026) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Model | Jan–May 2026 registrations |
| 1 | Ford Puma | 24,358 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 21,274 |
| 3 | Jaecoo 7 | 20,695 |
| 4 | Nissan Qashqai | 18,558 |
| 5 | Vauxhall Corsa | 15,863 |
Source · Note: Model rankings use SMMT year-to-date data for January to May 2026.
More Statistics
How does the UK passenger car market compare to global trends?
- The UK new car market passed 2 million registrations for the first time since the pandemic in 2025, while European Union (EU) new car registrations increased by 1.8%.
- The UK’s BEV share of new car registrations was about 23.4%, higher than the EU battery-electric share of 17.4%.
- Globally, electric cars reached about 25% of new car sales in 2025, with more than 20 million electric cars sold.
Economic Impact of Passenger Car Sales in the UK
- The UK built over 717,000 cars in 2025.
- UK car exports fell by 7.9% to 555,826 units, representing 77.5% of total UK car production.
- The European Union remained the largest export destination, receiving 56.7% of UK-built car exports.
References
- SMMT: Annual Registration Statistics and Market Analysis (2011–2026 YTD) · smmt.co.uk
- DfT: Vehicle Licensing and Zero-Emission Vehicle Statistics (2024–2025) · gov.uk
- ACEA: EU Passenger Car Market Share and Registration Trends (2024–2025) · acea.auto
- IEA — Global EV Outlook and EV Data Explorer (2010–2026) · iea.org
