A record 99,201 battery-electric cars were registered in September as BYD became the UK’s second-largest new car marque with Chery securing a record 2.79% market share by the end of the plate-change month.
The final Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations increased by 36.3% year-on-year and accounted for 28.3% of the September market.
However, the figures also show that the record sales performances reported by Chinese brands such as BYD, MG and Chery were not driven solely by fully electric cars with the fastest-growing brands gaining ground through offering broader electrified ranges rather than a pure-EV strategy alone.
Plug-in hybrids make up an important part of both fast growing Chinese brands’ registrations, with BYD’s Seal U DM-i its most popular UK model and Chery saying its Super Hybrid range generated 83.12% of its September volume.
The overall new car market grew by 12% to 350,536 registrations, marking a 10th consecutive month of growth and the strongest September since 2017.
Private registrations increased by 13.9% to 149,166, while fleet demand rose by 9.6% to 190,998. The SMMT attributed much of the growth to intense competition, wider model choice and attractive manufacturer-backed offers.
Record month leaves mandate gap
Electrified vehicles accounted for a record 58.4% of September registrations when BEVs, plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids were combined.
Plug-in hybrid registrations grew faster than BEVs, rising by 55.5% to 59,571 and securing a record 17% market share. Conventional hybrid registrations fell by 4.3% to 45,839, giving them a 13.1% share.
Despite the monthly BEV record, the market remains behind the trajectory demanded by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
A total of 454,947 BEVs were registered during the first nine months of 2026, up 30.2% and representing 26.2% of the new-car market. This remains below the headline 33% requirement for 2026 and even the 28% target set for the previous year.
Based on the SMMT’s full-year market forecast of 2.183 million registrations, achieving a 33% BEV share would require around 265,000 additional electric cars to be registered during the final quarter.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “September’s record EV performance is a major achievement. Drivers are increasingly embracing the growing choice of models made available and high fuel prices are also undoubtedly giving more consumers reason to consider going electric. The industry’s commitment is clear with billions of pounds of investment in new models, new technology and incentives.
“Despite all these factors, uptake remains behind mandated targets and, whilst flexibilities help, the UK still has the world’s toughest targets and highest energy costs. The Mandate review is an opportunity to review those factors, to build on this momentum and support consumers but, in doing so, strengthen business viability and UK competitiveness.”
BYD, Chery MG growth
Final SMMT data confirms BYD registered 20,140 cars in September, placing it second only to Volkswagen which recorded 25,972.
BYD achieved a 5.75% market share during the month and increased registrations by 78.7% compared with September 2025.
The manufacturer’s total includes both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid remained its most popular UK model, while the Sealion 7 and Seal ranked third and fourth respectively in the official BEV model chart, with 3,191 and 3,184 registrations.
Steve Beattie, deputy country manager at BYD UK, said: “While it’s a huge result for us, we believe that there is still more to come. We’ve launched several other cars recently or are about to.
“The Dolphin G takes us into the hugely popular supermini segment, and despite the car only arriving with our retailers in August, we’ve already taken over 500 orders. Pre-orders for the seven-seat Ti 7 SUV are proving extremely strong, and the Shark pick-up is generating a huge amount of interest too. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings.”
Chery said Super Hybrid models accounted for 83.12% of its preliminary September total, highlighting how heavily its expansion currently depends on plug-in hybrid rather than fully electric demand. It also claimed a private retail mix of 76.59%, substantially above the wider market’s 42.6% private share.
Farrell Hsu, managing director at Chery UK, said: “Achieving 9,788 registrations in September reflects how rapidly Chery has established itself in the UK since our launch last year. Reaching our highest market share to date proves that UK customers appreciate the attainable pricing, state-of-the-art hybrid technology and rich specifications our award-winning vehicles offer.
“As we prepare to introduce four new and refreshed models over the coming year, including our first electric vehicle, this record month provides a fantastic springboard for our next phase of growth.”
The wider advance of Chery-owned marques was also evident in the model rankings, where the Jaecoo 7 became September’s best-selling new car with 10,814 registrations.
Chinese-owned MG added another record performance to September’s results, registering 18,026 cars and exceeding 18,000 units in a single month for the first time.
The total placed MG fourth in the manufacturer rankings. Registrations increased by 23.7% year-on-year, almost twice the overall market’s growth rate, and gave MG a 5.14% share.
MG said 91.6% of its September registrations featured an electrified powertrain and that its all-electric registrations increased by 65.2% year to date.
The result took MG to 78,930 registrations during the first nine months of 2026, up 20.7%, placing it sixth overall with a 4.54% share.
David Allison, director of product and planning at MG Motor UK, said: “September was a landmark month for MG in the UK, reflecting the breadth of our range and the confidence customers place in MG across Hybrid+, Plug-in Hybrid and fully electric powertrains.”
Ensure you always receive AM insights. Make us a preferred source of news on Google