New car market rises 24.0% in April as market recovers from last year’s negative tax change impact.

Two millionth electric car registered, with robust 26.2% market share during low-volume month.

2026 outlook upgraded to 2.093m registrations overall, but ZEV share revised down to 26.8% after underperforming Q1 demand.

Data download New car registrations data April 2026 DOWNLOAD ALL

The UK new car market grew by 24.0% to reach 149,247 registrations last month, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The increase reflects a rebound from an unusually weak April last year, when buyers pulled purchases forward to March to beat incoming vehicle tax increases, including the application of VED and the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) on battery electric vehicles (BEVs).1 While April remains a traditionally low volume month, magnifying year-on-year variation, this was the best outturn since 2019’s 161,064 units.

Apr car registration by sales 2026 car registrations by sales April 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 Private 56,116 46,671 20.2% 37.6% 38.8% Fleet 90,462 71,340 26.8% 60.6% 59.3% Business 2,669 2,320 15.0% 1.8% 1.9% Total 149,247 120,331 24.0% Year to date 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 Private 306,211 274,257 11.7% 40.1% 39.1% Fleet 441,094 412,497 6.9% 57.7% 58.9% Business 16,796 14,079 19.3% 2.2% 2.0% Total 764,101 700,833 9.0%

Growth was recorded in all sectors, led by fleets, up 26.8% to 90,462 registrations. Private retail deliveries grew 20.2% to reach 56,116, while registrations by the smaller business sector rose 15.0% to 2,669.

Demand for petrol cars rose 8.2%, while diesel registrations fell -1.0%. Electrified cars accounted for more than half (53.2%) of the market for the second month this year.2 Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations rose 46.4% to take a 13.8% market share, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increased 18.8%, securing 13.2% of new registrations.

Apr car registration by fuel type 2026 car registrations by fuel April 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 BEV 39,084 24,558 59.1% 26.2% 20.4% HEV 19,711 16,586 18.8% 13.2% 13.8% PHEV 20,597 14,073 46.4% 13.8% 11.7% PETROL 63,541 58,733 8.2% 42.6% 48.8% DIESEL 6,314 6,381 -1.0% 4.2% 5.3% TOTAL 149,247 120,331 24.0% Year to date 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 BEV 176,698 144,749 22.1% 23.1% 20.7% HEV 111,083 102,591 8.3% 14.5% 14.6% PHEV 99,263 67,759 46.5% 13.0% 9.7% PETROL 340,230 345,520 -1.5% 44.5% 49.3% DIESEL 36,827 40,214 -8.4% 4.8% 5.7% TOTAL 764,101 700,833 9.05%

Marking a market milestone, April also saw the two millionth battery electric car registered (2,012,758)3, following bumper growth of 59.1% compared with last year. As a result, BEV uptake reached a robust 26.2% share of registrations in the month – an impressive performance albeit in a typically low volume month. Year to date, BEVs comprise 23.1% of the overall new car market, significantly short of the 33% required by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, despite billions in manufacturer discounts and the introduction of the Electric Car Grant last year.

The latest industry outlook, also published today, shows improving confidence in overall market volumes but also reflects weaker expectations for EV demand. Total new car registrations in 2026 are now expected to rise 3.6% to 2.093 million, up from January’s 2.048 million outlook, but BEV share has been downgraded to 26.8%, from 28.5%, following an underperforming first quarter.

Looking ahead, the 2027 market is anticipated to reach 2.121 million units, 32.0% of them BEVs – leaving a persistent gap of around six percentage points against the mandate target. Energy, production and charging costs remain high and, as a result, demand has not grown as fast as assumed when the regulation was formulated.4 The Iran conflict adds further uncertainty, the full impact of which is yet to be seen, with rising interest in EVs potentially tempered by concern over inflation, higher energy prices and the resultant negative impact on the cost of living.

Other major international markets are revising their transition plans to reflect geopolitical and market realities. The UK similarly needs an urgent review of the transition to avoid being put in an uncompetitive position, undermining consumer choice, investment and growth.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive April’s rebound is welcome, but underlines just how significantly fiscal changes can influence the market. Two million electric car registrations is a considerable milestone to celebrate, although natural demand is still well below the level demanded by the mandate. The mounting cost of compliance threatens to limit consumer choice, overall decarbonisation and the sector’s competitiveness so the need for a rapid review of the transition to align policy with market realities is unchanged, else Britain’s attractiveness as a vehicle market and manufacturing hub will be put at risk.

Top models April Top Models 2026 April 1 FORD PUMA 4,211 2 KIA Sportage 3,645 3 NISSAN Qashqai 2,846 4 VOLKSWAGEN Golf 2,845 5 MINI Cooper 2,577 6 OMODA 5 2,308 7 VAUXHALL Corsa 2,236 8 VOLKSWAGEN Tiguan 2,234 9 MG HS 2,146 10 JAECOO 7 2,099 Year-to-date 1 FORD Puma 20,339 2 KIA Sportage 17,835 3 JAECOO 7 17,668 4 NISSAN Qashqai 15,699 5 VAUXHALL Corsa 12,788 6 VOLKSWAGEN Golf 12,021 7 VOLVO XC40 11,360 8 MG HS 11,293 9 MINI Cooper 10,686 10 VOLKSWAGEN Tiguan 10,252

Notes to editors