Electric vehicles continued to make strong progress in the UK car market in October, taking over a quarter of all new car sales. The latest report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that more drivers are choosing electric and hybrid models as confidence in cleaner transport grows.
The overall car market recorded a small increase of 0.5 percent in October, with 144,948 new cars sold across the country. While the growth was modest, it showed that demand for new vehicles remains steady. However, experts warned that a planned government tax change could slow down this progress in the coming months.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) saw a sharp rise in popularity. Registrations jumped by 23.6 percent compared to the same month last year, with 7,028 more EVs added to UK roads. In total, electric cars made up 25.4 percent of all new registrations, marking the second-highest monthly share in 2025. This growth is impressive but still slightly below the 28 percent target set by the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.
The Ford Puma remained the UK’s best-selling car for both October and the year so far, followed by the Kia Sportage in second place. A new name appeared among the top ten models, the Chinese-made Jaecoo 7, which ranked sixth and managed to outsell well-known cars like the Nissan Qashqai, VW Tiguan, and Audi A3. Despite that, the Qashqai held on to its position as the third best-selling model of the year.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles also performed strongly. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) rose by 27.2 percent and secured a 12.1 percent share of the market, while regular hybrids (HEVs) increased by 2.1 percent to take 13.3 percent. Altogether, electrified cars made up just over half of all new cars sold in October. It was the second month in a row that electric, plug-in, and hybrid models dominated the UK market.
So far in 2025, BEV registrations have risen by 28.9 percent, reaching 386,244 units, already more than the total for 2024. Electric cars now represent 22.4 percent of all sales this year. This progress has been helped by carmaker discounts, government incentives like the Electric Car Grant, and a growing network of public charging points.
According to the SMMT, 2025 could become the strongest year for car sales since before the pandemic, with total registrations expected to reach 2.012 million. Even so, experts say more effort will be needed to meet future ZEV targets as the shift to electric driving continues to gain momentum across the UK.
American EV makers like Lucid Motors (NASDAQ: LCID) will be wishing that the federal government didn’t end the EV subsidies in the country as the UK sales show how much of an impact subsidies can exert on buying decisions.
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