UK new car registrations rose by 24% year-on-year in April – a month which also saw the two millionth full EV registered here.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the total of 149,247 registrations last month made it the strongest April for the market since 2019.
However, it said the strong year-on-year growth reflected an unusually weak April 2025, when tax increases including the application of VED and the Expensive Car Supplement to EVs were introduced.
Ensure you always get AM insight. Make us a preferred source of news on Google.
Private retail registrations were up by 20.2% year-on-year last month, representing a 37.6% market share – a slight drop, with the fleet market having recorded even stronger 26.8% growth. Business registrations, to organisations with fewer than 25 vehicles, were up by 15%.
Strong growth from EVs and PHEVs
As well as hitting the two-million milestone, EVs also saw 59.1% year-on-year growth in April, taking a 26.2% market share.
Plug-in hybrids saw 46.4% growth, taking 13.8% of the market, while hybrids were up by 18.8% for a 13.2% market share.
Petrol car registrations were up by 8.2% in April, accounting for 42.6% of the market, while diesels dropped by 1% for a 4.2% market share.
Ford Puma back on top
The Ford Puma regained top spot on the car registrations chart in April, with 4,211 registrations, ahead of the Kia Sportage with 3,645 and the Nissan Qashqai with 2,846.
Completing the top ten were the Volkswagen Golf (2,845 registrations), Mini Cooper (2,577), Omoda 5 (2,308), Vauxhall Corsa (2,234), Volkswagen Tiguan (2,234), MG HS (2,146), and March’s most-registered car, the Jaecoo 7 (2,099).
The Puma also retained its position on top of the year-to-date registrations chart, with 20,339, ahead of the Kia Sportage with 17,835 and the Jaecoo 7 with 17,668.
SMMT upgrades annual new car market forecast
Following the market’s strong performance in April, the SMMT has upgraded its forecast for 2026, which it is now expecting to produce 3.6% growth in registrations to 2.093 million, up from its January forecast of 2.049 million.
However, despite the EV milestone being reached, it has downgraded its full-year EV market share prediction from 28.5% to 26.8% – short of the 33% ZEV mandate target.
Mike Hawes, chief executive at the SMMT, said: “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.”
‘Surging’ new car enquiries reported
Reacting to the figures, Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, said: “Despite a backdrop of geopolitical instability, UK car buying positivity continued apace in April with the UK’s new car market seeing a significant year-on-year increase, and an April monthly performance that is the nearest we’ve been to pre-pandemic highs.
“While this year-on-year growth is in part driven by comparison with last years’ changes to VED rates and Expensive Car Supplement, with new car enquiries surging by 43% on Autotrader it looks increasingly as if the higher levels of competition from new brands entering the market, a continued surge of exciting new launches – as well as enhanced consumer offers – are driving car buyers back into showrooms in ever bigger numbers.
“As well as a strong month for electric sales, April also marked two consecutive months of average new EV pricing sitting below petrol, ending the month with a £455 price gap – up from £296 in March.”
Sue Robinson, chief executive at the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), said: “April’s figures represent a positive and encouraging performance for the new car market, highlighting the resilience of the sector despite ongoing economic pressures.
“It is particularly reassuring to see continued uptake of electrified vehicles as consumers increasingly engage with zero-emission mobility.
“Franchised dealers remain committed to supporting customers through the transition and are well placed to sustain this momentum. However, it is vital that there is continued collaboration between industry and Government and most importantly, that there is greater clarity from Government to ensure long term growth and stability in the market.”
Philip Nothard, insight director at Cox Automotive, said: “”April’s strong headline growth isn’t necessarily indicative of a step‑change in demand. Private buyers are returning, but they remain cautious amid widespread uncertainty.
“While the market is recovering from policy‑driven disruption, year‑to‑date performance highlights a persistent mismatch between real‑world consumer uptake and the pace assumed by the ZEV mandate, which targets a 33% share in 2026.
“This underlines a sector moving in the right direction, but one that still depends heavily on incentives and fleet demand rather than organic private momentum.”
As well as two million EVs having been registered in the UK, the Department for Transport has also announced that 100,000 EVs have been purchased with the UK Government’s Electric Car Grant, introduced last year offering up to £3,750 off the price of a new EV.
DATA: new car registration figures by market and brand