- In 2026, in the UK, registrations of new cars will rise by 11.7% to 156,571, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
- Registrations can be split by powertrain as follows: pure battery electric registrations rose by 44.5%, while plug-in hybrids — by 33.6%.
- Petrol and diesel car registrations fell; the average for the models is named Ford Puma and Renault 5.
New car registrations in the UK are set to rise in 2026: according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), registrations of new cars will increase by 11.7% compared with the previous year.
In total, 156,571 new cars will be registered. As SMMT notes, this is the highest result for car registrations in the UK since 2019.
SMMT attributes the growth in registrations to rising demand for electric transport. Registrations of pure battery electric new cars rose by 44.5% in 2025; the material also notes that this may be linked to the continued availability of government grants.
Meanwhile, registrations of diesel and petrol cars fell: from 5.2% to 17.7% year-on-year. According to Autocar, the share of petrol car registrations in 2025 will be 47.3%, down to 40.1% in 2026.
Autocar’s data also suggests that growth is spread across all segments of buyers: private purchases increased by 12.6%, while fleet purchases rose by 9.5%.
General director of SMMT Mike Hawes said that the outlook for electric car sales is driven by the fact that the UK’s zero-emission mobility industry is becoming more sustainable. However, he also noted that the industry may still face challenges, as vehicle prices remain high even with the support.
Autocar also notes that SMMT links the rise in EV registrations to the continued availability of the Electric Car Grant. However, Autocar adds that the number of registrations could be affected by the price of petrol and diesel, rising in Iran, which, according to the material, could lead to an increase in the cost of EV purchases.
Autocar predicts that the best-selling vehicle in the EV segment will be the Ford Puma (3,531 registrations), followed by the Nissan Qashqai (3,224) and Kia Sportage (3,205). The best-selling electric car, according to Autocar, will be Renault 5 (1,805).