New car sales in the UK rose by 3.4% from the previous year to 144,127 units in January of 2026, slowing from the 3.9% increase in the previous month. Registrations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles soared (47.3% to 18,557) to mark over 12% of total registrations. A softer increase was noted for hybrid electric vehicles (4.8% to 19,197), while registrations of battery electric vehicles were steady (0.1% to 29,654), over 20% of the market share. In turn, sales fell for petrol engine vehicles (-1.9% to 68,757). source: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT)

New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom decreased to 3.40 percent in January from 3.90 percent in December of 2025. New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom averaged 10.70 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 February of 2026.

New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom decreased to 3.40 percent in January from 3.90 percent in December of 2025. New Passenger Car Registrations YoY in the United Kingdom is expected to be 1.50 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 1.50 percent in 2027 and -1.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-01-06 09:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
Dec 3.9% -1.6% -1.0%
2026-02-05 09:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
Jan 3.4% 3.9% 2.0%
2026-03-05 09:00 AM
New Car Sales YoY
Feb 1.0%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 1671.00 1850.00 Companies Dec 2025
BRC Retail Sales Monitor YoY 2.30 1.00 percent Jan 2026
CBI Business Optimism Index -19.00 -31.00 points Mar 2026
Car Production YoY 53003.00 65932.00 Units Dec 2025
Car Registrations 144127.00 146249.00 Units Jan 2026
Changes in Inventories 1402.00 1860.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Composite Leading Indicator 101.07 101.04 points Jan 2026
Corporate Profits 160993.00 160867.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Corruption Index 70.00 71.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 20.00 20.00 Dec 2025
Crude Oil Rigs 3.00 3.00 Jan 2026
Electricity Price 74.72 75.16 GBP/MWh Feb 2026
Electricity Production 49970.00 49485.00 Gigawatt-hour Sep 2025
CBI Industrial Trends Orders -30.00 -32.00 Net Balance Jan 2026
Industrial Production YoY 0.50 2.30 percent Dec 2025
Industrial Production MoM -0.90 1.30 percent Dec 2025
GDP 3-Month Avg 0.10 -0.10 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Production YoY 0.50 1.30 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Production MoM -0.50 1.90 Percent Dec 2025
Mining Production -0.60 2.10 percent Dec 2025
New Orders 12049.00 10971.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
New Car Sales YoY 3.40 3.90 percent Jan 2026
Business Investment -2.70 1.60 percent Dec 2025


United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.40 3.90 3176.60 -97.30 1991 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
UK Car Registrations Rise Further
New car sales in the UK rose by 3.4% from the previous year to 144,127 units in January of 2026, slowing from the 3.9% increase in the previous month. Registrations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles soared (47.3% to 18,557) to mark over 12% of total registrations. A softer increase was noted for hybrid electric vehicles (4.8% to 19,197), while registrations of battery electric vehicles were steady (0.1% to 29,654), over 20% of the market share. In turn, sales fell for petrol engine vehicles (-1.9% to 68,757).
2026-02-05
UK New Car Sales Rebound in December
New car sales in the UK increased by 3.9% year on year to 146,249 units in December 2025, rebounding from the 1.6% decline in November. Demand was led by private and business buyers, with registrations rising 16.0% and 15.3%, respectively, offsetting a 2.4% decline in fleet registrations. By powertrain, traditional internal combustion vehicles remained under pressure. Diesel registrations fell 12.5%, while petrol car sales declined 3.1%. In contrast, new energy vehicles accounted for more than half of total market share, reflecting sustained electrification momentum. Plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) registrations surged 32.9%, while battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose 8.0% and hybrid registrations increased 3.0% year on year.
2026-01-06
UK Car Registrations Pull Back
New car sales in the UK fell by 1.6% from the previous year to 151,154 units in November of 2025, erasing the 0.5% increase from the previous month. Registrations by private buyers fell by 5.5% in the period, offsetting a 0.2% increase in fleet uptake and an 18% surge in business buyer volumes, which are traditionally a small part of total registrations. Among different vehicle types, diesel engine registrations sank by 24% and petrol car registrations fell 5.9%. In turn, new energy vehicles registrations accounted for over half of the total market share, with higher sales for plug-in hybrid (14.8%), battery electric (3.6%), and hybrid (1.3%) cars.
2025-12-04