Four in 10 new cars (42 per cent) were electrified. Hybrid sales increased by 31.4 per cent for a 14.5 per cent market share, while plug-in hybrid sales increased by 12.4 per cent, making up 8.9 per cent of total registrations. Meanwhile, battery electric vehicle (BEV) volumes were up 18.8 per cent, with an overall market share of 18.5 per cent. Of those BEV sales, 17.2 per cent went to private buyers compared to 20.3 per cent last year. Overall, BEVs account for 16.8 per cent of car sales, which is some way off the 22 per cent zero-emission mandate.
The latest forecast predicts lower sales than expected earlier in the year, with 1.968 million new car registrations now predicted. Battery electric vehicle’s market share has also been revised down from 19.8 per cent to 18.5 per cent.
More people than ever are buying and driving EVs but we still need the pace of change to quicken
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “Two years of new car market growth against a backdrop of a turbulent economy is testament to the sector’s resilience and the attractiveness of the deals on offer. Weakening private retail demand, however, particularly for EVs and despite generous manufacturer discounts, is the over-riding concern.
"More people than ever are buying and driving EVs but we still need the pace of change to quicken, else the UK’s climate change ambitions are threatened and manufacturers’ ability to hit regulated EV targets are at risk. Achieving market transition at the pace demanded requires greater support for consumers and, with the all-important new numberplate month of September beckoning, action on incentives and infrastructure is needed now.”
10. MG HS
Under Chinese ownership, MG is fast becoming a more competent car producer than the British company that bore it and the MG HS is possibly the best example of the turnaround. The HS clings to its budget-brand routes as a (very) cheap and cheerful SUV that will appeal to anyone looking for a new-car bargain. Its boxy shape means it's relatively practical on the inside and you'll find the cabin is kitted out with all the equipment you could expect for the price including a smartphone-mirroring infotainment screen. It even drives well with a good ride-handling balance. Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's one of the UK's most-bought cars.
9. Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo makes you ask: “When small cars can be this good, why are they slowly dying out?” It’s a fair question. The Polo does everything very well and offers it in a small package that is easy to live with every day. Inside, it has the space you’d have expected of a Volkswagen Golf not too long ago, it feels properly built and it comes with a slick pair of infotainment screens that connect to your phone using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While a Ford Fiesta used to be king for small car drivers looking for something fun, the Polo’s always been the more comfortable option with a ride quality that will genuinely surprise you and impressive interior refinement. That being said, it still handles neatly and has a middling punch from its turbocharged engines. All of which allows us – and clearly you because it’s the UK’s ninth most popular car – to forgive its beefy pricing.
8. Nissan Juke
The Nissan Juke is everything the modern car buyer wants strikingly styled, roomy, cheap to run and fully connected. The Juke's raised driving position gives you the feeling of safety craved by SUV owners, but it is also relatively sporty to drive with a ride and handling balance that puts you on the more sorted end of the small crossover spectrum. It's a shame the petrol and petrol-electric engine range gives you little to get excited about. The cabin quality could be better, but the interior is well-designed and roomy, and connecting your phone to the car's infotainment is simple. It’s a car that does most things well.
7. Volkswagen T-Roc
By machine gunning us with SUVs, including the T-Cross, Taigo, T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg, not to mention a dedicated line-up of EV SUVs, perhaps the biggest surprise is that only one makes it onto this list of the UKs best sellers. The T-Roc noses itself between the Taigo and Tiguan, being larger than the former and more conventionally car-like than the latter. It feels like a Golf in any measurable way but with more interior space. Who'd have guessed? It's a formula that's worked just fine for the plus-2,500 people who have bought one in 2024.
6. Hyundai Tucson
The latest Tucson’s most appealing (or divisive, depending on how it sits with you) feature is its striking and unconventional appearance, headlined by a front end adorned with what the brand calls its “Parametric Hidden Lights.” As a show of Hyundai’s increasingly premium-market ambitions, the Tucson is the first car from the brand to be offered with adaptive damping technology typical of the German establishment.
5. Volkswagen Golf
One of the more evergreen entries, the Volkswagen Golf's enduring popularity has taken a slight dent with the advent of SUVs and crossovers, but it's still one of the most versatile new cars on sale today. It's likely the most popular car in the top ten with car enthusiasts, too, given the availability of bonafide performance options like the front-wheel drive Golf GTI and four-wheel Golf R, which now kicks out well over 300PS (221kW). Volkswagen's recently revealed update – the last Golf we'll see – smartens up the exterior, adds nominal power upgrades and brings useful infotainment updates. More than 3,000 Golfs have been sold this year alone.
4. Volvo XC40
The Volvo XC40’s combination of chunky Swedish good looks, comfort and excellent safety mean this small, premium SUV competes with more mainstream models in terms of sales figures. It’s easy to see why. The Volvo’s minimalist interior means you immediately feel relaxed when you get aboard and its soft suspension and excellent refinement make it an ideal car to tackle long journeys. We can even see why many are turning away from the traditional Volvo estate in favour of SUVs like the XC40, which offer estate car space in a smaller footprint.
3. Ford Puma
When Ford revived the Puma name in 2019, it took the same approach as the '90s original by leveraging the platform of the popular Fiesta supermini and using these humble underpinnings to develop a more desirable and profitable car. The glaring difference is that today's Puma is not a small coupé but a small SUV. While we'll forever mourn the coupé, seeing its sales dwarfed by the more practical and still fun-to-drive SUV is not surprising. Transforming it into an SUV has secured more than 3,000 sales this year already.
2. Nissan Qashqai
Is it all that surprising to see the car that started the crossover craze near the top this list of the UK's most popular cars? Of course, it isn't. Now, in its third generation, billions (well, many millions) of Qashqais have been sold globally. Designed in Britain, the new version continues the car's success story based on a formula that gives you SUV looks in a car that drives and is almost as efficient as a regular hatchback. More premium than its predecessor, the new Qashqai is available as the e-Power – an EV with a petrol engine running as a generator. It has the silent running and instant thrust of an EV without needing to charge.
1. Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage has cemented a place as one of Britain's most popular SUVs, simultaneously affirming Kia as a mainstream brand in the UK. The first Sportage arrived in 1995 and continued on sale until 2003 when the Korean marque shifted just over 10,800. By contrast, Kia has already shifted almost 4,000 versions of the new model this year alone. The Sportage ticks all the family car boxes, with value for money, tech, and practicality all covered, along with a selection of electrified drivetrains.
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