GoKawiilNew car market rises 24.0% in April as market recovers from last year’s negative tax change impact.
Two millionth electric car registered, with robust 26.2% market share during low-volume month.
2026 outlook upgraded to 2.093m registrations overall, but ZEV share revised down to 26.8% after underperforming Q1 demand.
Data download New car registrations data April 2026 DOWNLOAD ALL
The UK new car market grew by 24.0% to reach 149,247 registrations last month, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The increase reflects a rebound from an unusually weak April last year, when buyers pulled purchases forward to March to beat incoming vehicle tax increases, including the application of VED and the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) on battery electric vehicles (BEVs).1 While April remains a traditionally low volume month, magnifying year-on-year variation, this was the best outturn since 2019’s 161,064 units.
Apr car registration by sales 2026 car registrations by sales April 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 Private 56,116 46,671 20.2% 37.6% 38.8% Fleet 90,462 71,340 26.8% 60.6% 59.3% Business 2,669 2,320 15.0% 1.8% 1.9% Total 149,247 120,331 24.0% Year to date 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 Private 306,211 274,257 11.7% 40.1% 39.1% Fleet 441,094 412,497 6.9% 57.7% 58.9% Business 16,796 14,079 19.3% 2.2% 2.0% Total 764,101 700,833 9.0%
Growth was recorded in all sectors, led by fleets, up 26.8% to 90,462 registrations. Private retail deliveries grew 20.2% to reach 56,116, while registrations by the smaller business sector rose 15.0% to 2,669.
Demand for petrol cars rose 8.2%, while diesel registrations fell -1.0%. Electrified cars accounted for more than half (53.2%) of the market for the second month this year.2 Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations rose 46.4% to take a 13.8% market share, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increased 18.8%, securing 13.2% of new registrations.
Apr car registration by fuel type 2026 car registrations by fuel April 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 BEV 39,084 24,558 59.1% 26.2% 20.4% HEV 19,711 16,586 18.8% 13.2% 13.8% PHEV 20,597 14,073 46.4% 13.8% 11.7% PETROL 63,541 58,733 8.2% 42.6% 48.8% DIESEL 6,314 6,381 -1.0% 4.2% 5.3% TOTAL 149,247 120,331 24.0% Year to date 2026 2025 % change Mkt share ’26 Mkt share ’25 BEV 176,698 144,749 22.1% 23.1% 20.7% HEV 111,083 102,591 8.3% 14.5% 14.6% PHEV 99,263 67,759 46.5% 13.0% 9.7% PETROL 340,230 345,520 -1.5% 44.5% 49.3% DIESEL 36,827 40,214 -8.4% 4.8% 5.7% TOTAL 764,101 700,833 9.05%
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