UK new car registrations witnessed a 24 percent bounce in April 2026, with more than 149,000 new vehicles leaving dealer forecourts.
It was the market’s the best April performance since 2019, with growth across all three key channels: fleet, retail and business.
The Ford Puma led the way. A total of 4,211 registrations in April placed it well clear of the next-best Kia Sportage.
Last month’s surprise star performer, the Jaecoo 7 SUV, was well down in 10th place.
‘An unusually weak 2025’
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which collates the new car registration figures, was keen to celebrate the success, but also to temper the April results.
April 2025 was an unusually weak month, it said, with car buyers pulling purchases forward to dodge the application of both VED (road tax) and the Expensive Car Supplement on electric cars.
This “underlines just how significantly fiscal changes can influence the market,” said SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes.
Two million EVs in the UK
April also saw Britain reach the milestone of two million electric cars on the road. Some 2,012,758 electric cars have now been registered in the UK, with last month’s sales alone up by 59 percent versus 2025.
EVs took a 26.2 percent share of the new car market last month. Add in plug-in hybrids, and ‘cars with a plug’ accounted for two in five of all new vehicles sold.
Petrol is still the single biggest fuel type, however, with a year-to-date share almost twice as large as electric cars.
What’s more, the 23.1 percent year-to-date share for electric cars is still some way off the 33 percent figure demanded by the ZEV Mandate.
“The mounting cost of compliance threatens to limit consumer choice, overall decarbonisation and the sector’s competitiveness,” warned Mike Hawes.
“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.”
Most-registered cars in April 2026
After the shock of the Jaecoo 7 becoming the UK’s best-selling new car in March 2026, the Ford Puma returned to the top of the registrations chart in April.
Indeed, the Jaecoo only just made the top 10 last month. The Chinese firm will be buoyed by the performance of its sister brand, though, with the Omoda 5 placing sixth – ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Tiguan and MG HS.
The Kia Sportage returned to second place, both in April and the year-to-date figures, with both well clear of the Sunderland-built Nissan Qashqai in third.
The Mini Cooper was another British-built car to rank in the top five in April – a better performance than the year-to-date figures, which place it only ninth.
Top 10 best-selling cars: April 2026
1: Ford Puma – 4,211 cars
2: Kia Sportage – 3,645
3: Nissan Qashqai – 2,846
4: Volkswagen Golf – 2,845
5: Mini Cooper – 2,577
6: Omoda 5 – 2,308
7: Vauxhall Corsa – 2,236
8: Volkswagen Tiguan – 2,234
9: MG HS – 2,146
10: Jaecoo 7 – 2,099
Do you see any surprises in the latest new car sales figures? Are you one of those looking to buy a new electric car – or are you sticking with petrol? Let us know in the comments.
