U.K. New-Car Sales Rose in March as EV Registrations Jumped, Industry Body Says

By Dominic Chopping

U.K. new-car sales rose 6.6% in March, buoyed by the best ever month for new electric-vehicle registrations, an industry body said.

A total of 380,627 new cars were registered in March, compared with 357,103 in the same month last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Tuesday.

The increase was largely driven by a 10% rise in demand from private buyers to 162,470 vehicles, while the fleet market registered a 3.5% increase and the much smaller business sector saw an 18.8% increase in volumes.

March is typically the biggest month of the year for U.K. car sales as the new annual license plate registration becomes available from March 1.

Electrified vehicle volumes accounted for 196,059 registrations, with battery electric vehicle registrations rising 24% on year to reach a new monthly record of 86,120 vehicles. However, with a market share of battery electric vehicles in the month at 22.6% and 22.4% year to date, uptake is far below the 33% U.K. government-mandated target for the year.

Hybrid electric-vehicle uptake rose by 7.3% and plug-in hybrid demand rose 46.9%.

SMMT said that despite rising EV volumes, conditions have diverged sharply from those assumed when the mandate was set. It said that battery costs were over 30% higher than expected at the start of 2026 and industrial energy prices around 80% above 2021 levels, while public charging can cost over 140% more than five years ago.

SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said that much of the performance in March will be from orders placed before the start of the Iran conflict.

"Against this backdrop, and with the EV market falling further away from mandated levels despite record levels of incentives, an urgent review of the transition is required to secure a sustainable market, economic growth and the U.K.'s net zero ambitions," Hawes said.

Registrations of gasoline vehicles fell 6.1% in March to 165,997 units, while diesel registrations fell 11.4% to 18,571 units.

The U.K.'s top two best-selling cars in March were the Jaecoo 7 and Ford Puma, according to the SMMT.

Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 07, 2026 05:36 ET (09:36 GMT)

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