Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represented almost a third of new car registrations in December 2025, according to annual figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The UK new car market grew for the third year in a row in 2025, breaching the two million mark for the first time since the pandemic, with 2,020,520 new car registrations.
Uptake in December rose by 3.9% to 146,249 units and BEVs accounted for 32.2% of the market, in that month passing the ZEV mandate target of 28%. A similar peak occurred the previous year.
Over the year, almost half a million (473,348) new BEVs were registered, which SMMT said was – more than in the whole of 2021 and 2022 combined. It said, “This huge volume, which is likely to place the UK as the second biggest EV market in Europe by volume, saw BEV market share rise to reach 23.4%”. The mandated target is 28%.
SMMT highlighted “Massive manufacturer investment” as a key to the EV expansion. It said the choice in BEV models had grown from 130 to 160 models during 2025 and at least 60 more are due in 2026. It warned that despite this, EV uptake has risen by only 23.9%. It said the “long-awaited return of a grant for EV purchase has helped,” although it is not available for three-quarters of models. It also said the announcement of a new tax on EVs purchased from 2028 “sends a confusing message to consumers, undermining rather than encouraging market confidence”.