Overview
- Official SMMT data show total UK vehicle output down 15.5% in 2025 to 764,715 units, with cars at 717,371 (-8.0%) and commercial vehicles at 47,344 (-62.3%).
- December provided a late lift as car production rose 17.7% to 53,003 units, ending four months of decline.
- Electrified car output (BEV, PHEV, HEV) increased 8.3% to 298,813 vehicles, reaching a record 41.7% share of UK production.
- SMMT cited a six‑week shutdown at JLR after a September cyberattack, tariff uncertainty on US trade and consolidation of commercial‑vehicle plants as key drags.
- Exports remained heavily Europe‑led (56.7%), with the US at 15% and China at 6.3%, and forecasts point to car output rising more than 10% in 2026 to about 790,000, with potential for one million light vehicles in 2027 if policy support lowers costs and protects market access.