Overview
- Registrations reached 144,127 in January, up 3.4% year on year, with private buyers up 4.5% to 52,397 and fleets still accounting for 61.2% of the market.
- BEV volumes edged up 0.1% to 29,654 but share fell to 20.6%, reflecting last year’s pull-forward and late-2025 registrations to meet targets.
- Plug-in hybrids jumped 47.3% to a 12.9% share and hybrids rose to 13.4%, while petrol and diesel volumes declined by 1.9% and 8.8% respectively.
- SMMT chief Mike Hawes warned the transition pace trails mandated goals and called for a comprehensive review, as industry figures pressed for used-EV affordability measures such as extending the Electric Car Grant.
- Kia’s Sportage led January model rankings, the Jaecoo 7 placed second, and Chinese brands Jaecoo, BYD and MG all entered the top 10.