Global Industry News On February 5, SMMT data showed that new car sales in the UK fell 2.
5% year-on-year to 139,345 units in January, due to weak consumer confidence and the severe economic situation leading to a fourth consecutive month of decline.
, Photo source: SMMT, at the same time, SMMT data shows that in terms of power types, in January this year, the number of gasoline vehicle registrations in the UK fell by 15.
3% year-on-year to 70,075 units, accounting for 50.
3% of the market share, down from 57.
9% in the same period in 2024.
The number of diesel vehicle registrations fell by 7.
7% year-on-year to 8,625 units, accounting for 6.
2% of the market share, down from 6.
5% in the same period in 2024.
Sales of hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles both recorded growth, with market shares increasing from “12.
5% and 8.
4%” in the same period in 2024 to “13.
2% and 9.
0%” respectively.
Sales of hybrid electric vehicles increased by 2.
9% year-on-year to 18,413 units, and sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles increased by 5.
5% year-on-year to 12,598 units.
At the same time, the number of registered pure electric vehicles continued its recent growth trend, rising 41.
6% year-on-year to 29,634 units, accounting for 21.
3% of the market, up from 14.
7% in the same period in 2024, but still lower than the British government’s market share target for 2024 (22%) further lags behind the 28% requirement in 2025.
Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT, said: “January data shows that demand for electric vehicles in the UK is growing, but not fast enough to achieve the UK government’s current ambitions.
Affordability remains a major obstacle to the popularity of electric vehicles, so the UK needs to take strong measures to stimulate demand for electric vehicles.
” The British auto industry is calling for an end to electric vehicle taxes to encourage more consumers to buy low-emission vehicles.
, The gap between electric vehicle demand and regulatory targets highlights the need to adjust current incentives in the UK, as the latest market outlook shows that new cars in the UK are expected to drop slightly by 0.
2% year-on-year to 1.
95 million units in 2025, of which the UK’s pure electric vehicle penetration is expected to increase by 20.
9% year-on-year to 462,000 units, with a market share of 23.
7%, but still below the UK’s 2025 target (28%).
By 2026, the UK’s market share of pure electric vehicles will further expand to 28.
3%, while the UK government has set a target of 33%.
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