UK new car sales rose by 24% year-over-year in April 2026, reaching 149,247 registrations, reflecting a rebound from a weak April 2025, when buyers advanced purchases to avoid tax hikes, including VED and the Expensive Car Supplement on BEVs. While April is typically a low-volume month, this was the strongest performance since 2019, with growth across all sectors: fleets (+26.8%), private retail (+20.2%), and business (+15.0%). Petrol car demand grew 8.2%, while diesel registrations dipped 1%. Electrified vehicles accounted for over half (53.2%) of the market for the second consecutive month. PHEV registrations surged 46.4% (13.8% market share), and HEVs rose 18.8% (13.2% share). BEV sales jumped 59.1% to 39,084 units, pushing total registrations since 2002 past two million. BEVs took a 26.2% market share for the month and 23.1% year-to-date, still below the 33% Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate target, despite manufacturer discounts and the Electric Car Grant. source: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT)

New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom increased to 24 percent in April from 6.60 percent in March of 2026. New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom averaged 10.72 percent from 1991 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 3176.60 percent in April of 2021 and a record low of -97.30 percent in April of 2020. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY. United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY - values, historical data and charts - was last updated on May of 2026.

New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom increased to 24 percent in April from 6.60 percent in March of 2026. New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom is expected to be 2.80 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY is projected to trend around 4.50 percent in 2027 and 7.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-04-07 08:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
Mar 6.6% 7.2% 1.5%
2026-05-05 08:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
Apr 24% 6.6% 5.1%
2026-06-04 08:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
May 24% 3.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 2022.00 1895.00 Companies Mar 2026
BRC Retail Sales Monitor YoY 3.10 0.70 percent Mar 2026
CBI Business Optimism Index -65.00 -19.00 points Jun 2026
Car Production YoY 69755.00 65885.00 Units Mar 2026
Car Registrations 149247.00 380627.00 Units Apr 2026
Changes in Inventories -992.00 355.00 GBP Million Dec 2025
Composite Leading Indicator 101.04 101.07 points Mar 2026
Corporate Profits 165030.00 160993.00 GBP Million Dec 2025
Battery Electric Vehicle Registrations 39084.00 86120.00 Units Apr 2026
Electricity Price 96.10 93.20 GBP/MWh May 2026
Electricity Production 65847.60 49685.20 Gigawatt-hour Dec 2025
CBI Industrial Trends Orders -38.00 -27.00 Net Balance Apr 2026
Industrial Production YoY -0.40 0.50 percent Feb 2026
Industrial Production MoM 0.50 -0.10 percent Feb 2026
GDP 3-Month Avg 0.50 0.30 percent Feb 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY -0.50 1.30 percent Feb 2026
Manufacturing Production MoM -0.10 0.20 Percent Feb 2026
New Orders 11935.00 12404.00 GBP Million Dec 2025
New Car Sales YoY 24.00 6.60 percent Apr 2026
Business Investment QoQ -2.50 1.10 percent Dec 2025


United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
24.00 6.60 3176.60 -97.30 1991 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
UK Cars Sales Rise The Most Since 2019
UK new car sales rose by 24% year-over-year in April 2026, reaching 149,247 registrations, reflecting a rebound from a weak April 2025, when buyers advanced purchases to avoid tax hikes, including VED and the Expensive Car Supplement on BEVs. While April is typically a low-volume month, this was the strongest performance since 2019, with growth across all sectors: fleets (+26.8%), private retail (+20.2%), and business (+15.0%). Petrol car demand grew 8.2%, while diesel registrations dipped 1%. Electrified vehicles accounted for over half (53.2%) of the market for the second consecutive month. PHEV registrations surged 46.4% (13.8% market share), and HEVs rose 18.8% (13.2% share). BEV sales jumped 59.1% to 39,084 units, pushing total registrations since 2002 past two million. BEVs took a 26.2% market share for the month and 23.1% year-to-date, still below the 33% Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate target, despite manufacturer discounts and the Electric Car Grant.
2026-05-05
UK New Car Registrations Climb to 2019 High
New car registrations in the UK rose 6.6% yoy to 380,627 in March 2026, typically the biggest market month of the year, following a 7.2% gain in February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. It marks the best March and best month overall since 2019, driven primarily by private demand, with retail registrations rising 10.1% to 162,470 units. Fleet registrations increased 3.5% to 208,853 units, while the smaller business sector grew 18.8% to 9,304 units. March was also the best month on record for EV volumes (196,059 registrations), underlining the impact of manufacturers’ investment in road transport decarbonisation. Battery electric vehicles volumes went up 24.2% to reach record high, but market share was just 22.6%, when mandated target for the year is 33%. At the start of 2026, battery costs were more than 30% higher than expected and industrial energy prices around 80% above 2021 levels, while public charging can cost over 140% more than five years ago.
2026-04-07
UK New Car Sales Rise for Third Month
UK new car sales rose 7.2% year-on-year to 90,100 units in February 2026, marking the highest February volume in 22 years, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The growth follows two consecutive months of gains, although February remains a traditionally lower-volume and more volatile month, as many buyers wait for the March numberplate change. The surge was largely driven by private retail registrations, which climbed 17.6% to 35,227 units. Fleet registrations increased modestly by 1.8%, while the smaller business segment fell by 12.7%. Fleets continue to dominate the market, accounting for 59.4% of all new car registrations. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose 2.8% to 21,840 units, or 24.2% of the market, marking a second consecutive month of year-on-year market share decline, partly reflecting strong early 2025 purchases ahead of tax changes and last year’s push to meet the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
2026-03-05