Honest John Guides New Cars

Best-selling cars in the UK 2025

British car buyers' appetite for SUVs continued in 2025 with eight of them making the top 10 best-sellers list for the year, headed overall by the Ford Puma.

Having topped the sales charts for the previous two years, the Ford Puma has retained its crown again in 2025 according to the most recent official registration figures.

Securing the runner-up spot again was the Kia Sportage which fell shy of the Ford's tally by 7700 registrations. Completing the podium positions in third place was the perpetually popular Nissan Qashqai, finishing 6647 sales behind its Kia rival.

That eight of 2025's 10 best-sellers were SUVs should surprise nobody given how in-demand these high-rise models have been for years. Car buyers appreciate their elevated seating positions and additional practicality — whether there's an additional belief that they're more adept at dealing with the nation's pot-holed roads is surely worthy of an academic study.

Confirmed as 2025's best-selling electric car was the Tesla Model Y, trumping the Tesla Model 3 and the Audi Q4 e-tron which completed the top 3 positions.

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1. Ford Puma

55,488 registered

After a disappointing start to 2025's sales campaign, the Ford Puma seized the initiative in March with a very strong showing for the first full month of 25-plate registrations, remaining in first positions for most months since. With good reason, too — it's one of the very best cars on sale full stop, not just among small SUVs.

The Ford Puma is blessed with excellent handling and a huge boot, making it both fun to drive and practical for younger families. Its range of mild hybrid 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines perfectly suit the Puma's sportiness, while its comfortable cabin makes it great for urban jaunts and long motorway trips.

It's also available in fully electric guise as the Ford Puma Gen-E — that model's introduction helped it remain at the nation's most popular car in 2025.

2. Kia Sportage

47,788 registered

The current Kia Sportage is a distinctive looking, family-sized SUV — although, arguably slightly less bold than the Hyundai Tucson it shares its underpinnings and engines with. It's no longer a budget buy, with a starting price north of £30,000 but you get masses of kit for your money, backed by Kia's seven-year warranty.

Mild, self-charging and plug-in petrol hybrids are available but there's no diesel alternative these days. The facelifted Kia Sportage has been on sale since the summer — expect to see plenty of those refreshed models on the road in 2026 as well.

3. Nissan Qashqai

41,141 registered

A 2024 makeover for the best-selling British-built car has reinvigorated the Nissan Qashqai, keeping it looking fresh-faced in the company of newer rivals — so much so it was June 2025's best-seller.

It's an effective family SUV with a comfortable, good quality interior peppered with practical touches and complemented by an enormous boot. There's no diesel option as the range consists of mild hybrids and the self-charging variety — the latter, badged e-Power, operates in a way that maximises its its electric drive potential, making it a cost-effective plug-in hybrid alternative. 

4. Vauxhall Corsa

35,947 registered

Enjoying a strong 2025 as the best-selling non-SUV, the Vauxhall Corsa was aided and abetted by very attractive deals on its Yes specification models. These have seen a surge of buyers tempted to go battery-powered as the Yes-grade versions of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric are great value for money.

Despite several manufacturers abandoning the small hatchback market, many customers still want new models of similar dimensions to what they're trading in, allowing various Stellantis brands to capitalise on the opportunity. With the Ford Fiesta consigned to the annals of history, the Corsa could be picking up Blue Oval loyalists coming to the end of their PCP deals for a year or two more yet. 

5. Nissan Juke

34,773 registered

Strong sales have seen the Nissan Juke cement its Top 10 ranking overall for 2025's sales. Built alongside the Nissan Qashqai in Nissan's northeastern England plant, the Juke's styling remains distinctive but isn't as divisive as the original's, broadening its appeal to the benefit of sales volumes.

The Juke received a freshen-up in 2024 inside and out although the engine range, shared with its Renault Captur cousin, remains essentially as before, with a choice of petrol and self-charging hybrids. Nissan has recently confirmed that an all-new electric-only Juke will go on sale during 2026 sitting below the all-new Nissan Leaf SUV in its line-up. Will it prove as popular?

6. Volkswagen Golf

32,478 registered

Comfort, solidity and fine handling are long-standing Volkswagen Golf hallmarks, qualities amplified further thanks to its 2024 facelift, which introduced a suite of interior improvements that have largely banished our previous gripes about this VW.

Available with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, in addition to mild and plug-in hybrid options, VW's most popular model is now only available as a hatchback — UK sales of the even roomier Volkswagen Golf Estate ended during 2025.

Underneath, the Golf continues to share hardware with the better-value SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia as well as the pricier Audi A3 and Cupra Leon.

7. Volvo XC40

30,404 registered

Volvo XC40

Normally when a car's at the wintry end of autumn in its production run, sales tend to tail-off dramatically, but that's not the case with the popular Volvo XC40.

Today's line-up isn't as comprehensive as it used to be for the chunky SUV, restricted to just two mild hybrid-assisted petrols and only front-wheel drive. A fully electric version remains on sale but it's now badged Volvo EX40 and therefore its sales aren't figured into this tally any more.

Safe, well equipped and decent value, sales appear set to continue defy its age for a while yet.

8. MG HS

30,191 registered

MG HS

Following a positive jump in sales during June 2025, the MG HS is continuing to win buyers over with its combination of excellent value for money and high levels of standard equipment since this all-new model appeared in summer 2024.

Like its predecessor, it's available in petrol-only and fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid guises, the latter appealing to those who don't yet feel ready to go full EV. Further expansion of the line-up from May 2025 also saw the arrival of the first self-charging hybrid-powered MG HS, providing even broader customer choice.

9. Volkswagen Tiguan

29,857 registered

British buyers have a long-standing fondness for the Volkswagen Tiguan which appears to have continued with this third-generation model. A strong start to 2025 has seen the VW vault into the top 10 for the year-to-date as the brand's second best-selling car, with only the Golf ahead of it.

Spacious, well-equipped and built to a high standard, the Tiguan's a family focused SUV that can prove inexpensive to run with a choice of efficient petrols and diesels as well as eHybrid PHEV options.

Note that the old seven-seater Tiguan Allspace has been replaced by the Volkswagen Tayron, so its sales aren't counted here.

10. Hyundai Tucson

28,613 registered

Hyundai Tucson

Sharing its underpinnings and the line-up of mild, self-charging and plug-in hybrid-assisted engines with the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson is pitched a little further upmarket in terms of price, equipment and interior finish.

Other than those factors there's little to separate them aside from which of the pair's styling appeals more and whether the Hyundai's five-year/unlimited mileage warranty would serve you better than the Kia's seven-year/100,000-mile alternative. Either way, the Tucson should provide years of reliable and fuel-efficient service.

UK car sales insights

Total car sales for 2025 painted a bright picture with overall registrations growing for the third year in succession and tallying over 2 million for the first time since 2020's Covid pandemic.

Demand for EVs continued to be boosted by the government's Electric Car Grant (ECG), accounting for 32.2% of December 2025's registrations. Overall electric car sales in 2025 were higher than the sum of their equivalent registrations for both 2021 and 2022. 

Figures suggest that the UK will have been Europe's second-largest market for pure EVs albeit at a significant cost. The SMMT's figures indicate that car manufacturers have spent over £5 billion incentivising electric models, yet they still fell short of the government's 28% of sales zero-emission mandate.

  • Overall in 2025 some 2,020,520 were registered, representing a positive 3.5% increase over 2024's tally of 1,952,778.
  • Petrol-engined cars continued to dominate with 46.42% of 2025's sales although the 937,938 total represents a significant 8.0% decline over 2024's figures.
  • Electric cars had a 23.43% market share in 2025 with 473,348 sales representing an enormous 23.9% increase compared with 2024.
  • Self-charging hybrids captured a 13.87% slice of the market with 280,185 registrations — a 7.2% rise over 2024.
  • Plug-in hybrids represented the largest market growth in 2025, enjoying a 34.7% increase over 2024, totting-up 225,143 sales for an 11.14% stake of the market.
  • Diesel's decline continued in the UK with a 15.6% fall in sales compared with 2024, taking just 5.14% of 2025's registrations. That still represented 103,906 cars, making diesels worthwhile for those manufacturers which continue to offer such models.

Which were the UK's best-selling electric cars in 2025?

Despite falling short of the government's 28% of total registrations mandate, the 23.4% achieved by electric car sales was the highest market share achieved to date.

Whether the assortment of electric cars making 2025's top 10 is replicated in 2026 is unlikely, with ever-increasing competition being one factor that will reduce prices, encouraging more sales at the less expensive end of the market.

That will be further amplified by the government's Electric Car Grant (ECG) — only models from two of 2025's most popular EVs were in receipt of the discount since its August introduction.

One intriguing point is that four of the 2025 top 10 use versions of Volkswagen Group's MEB electric car underpinnings, yet none of that quartet — the Audi Q4 e-tron, the Ford Explorer and both Skodas — wear VW badges.

  1. Tesla Model Y — 24,298 registrations
  2. Tesla Model 3 — 21,188 registrations
  3. Audi Q4 e-tron — 14,433 registrations
  4. Audi Q6 e-tron — 13,148 registrations
  5. Ford Explorer — 12,237 registrations
  6. BMW i4 — 12,158 registrations
  7. Skoda Enyaq — 11,940 registrations
  8. Kia EV3 — 11,188 registrations
  9. Skoda Elroq — 10,713 registrations
  10. Volvo EX30 — 10,289 registrations

Which were the UK's best-selling car brands in 2025?

Volkswagen has enjoyed an impressive 2025, being the only brand to break 175,000 registrations for the year. There's a significant gulf between its top-ranking sales tally and BMW in second place.

Somewhat surprisingly given its line-up of models isn't as broad, Ford regained third position from Kia in November and extended its advantage in December.

Rounding-out the top 10 positions are Audi in fifth ahead of Hyundai, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes and MG respectively — sixth to ninth places were separated by 3857 registrations.

Reflecting increased levels of competition in a healthier market only 2025's top five brands notched-up more than 100,000 registrations compared with 2024's eight most popular marques.

Of the recently launched Chinese-origin brands, BYD's performance was noteworthy as it secured 17th position overall. On a model-specific basis the BYD Seal U proved to be 2025's best-selling plug-in hybrid.

Meanwhile, the accumulated registrations of Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda — all part of the same company — are extraordinary compared with more established brands. Combined together, the trio would nab BYD's 17th place. The Jaecoo 7 had its fifth consecutive month in the top 10 in December 2025.

There's less happy reading at the bottom of the chart for relative newcomers Skywell with just 31 examples of its BE11 electric SUV registered in 2025. New entrant Changan has already registered 326 more examples of its Deepal S07 in only its fourth month on the market, while Geely accrued 478 registrations in its first two months alone.

Ranking Brand Manufacturing Group  2025 Registrations
1 Volkswagen Volkswagen Group 178,607
2 BMW BMW Group 122,723
3 Ford Ford Motor Company 118,998
4 Kia Hyundai Motor Company 113,436
5 Audi Volkswagen Group 111,115
6 Hyundai Hyundai Motor Company 93,124
7 Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation 90,126
8 Nissan Nissan Motor Corporation* 90,102
9 Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Group 89,267
10 MG SAIC Motor Corporation 85,155
11 Skoda Volkswagen Group 83,304
12 Peugeot Stellantis 83,044
13 Vauxhall Stellantis 81,921
14 Volvo Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 68,776
15 Renault Renault Group* 65,537
16 Land Rover Tata Motors 60,720
17 BYD BYD Company 51,422
18 MINI BMW Group 47,328
19 Tesla Tesla Inc. 45,513
20 Cupra Volkswagen Group 41,214
21 Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation^ 31,443
22 Dacia Renault Group* 30,005
23 Jaecoo Chery Automobile Co. 28,232
24 Honda Honda Motor Co. 23,017
25 SEAT Volkswagen Group 23,015
26 Citroen Stellantis 20,732
27 Omoda Chery Automobile Co. 19,855
28 Porsche Volkswagen Group 18,805
29 Suzuki Suzuki Motor Corporation^ 18,226
30 Polestar Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 16,959
31 Lexus Toyota Motor Corporation 16,454
32 Jeep Stellantis 10,616
33 Fiat Stellantis 8,764
34 Chery Chery Automobile Co. 5,517
35 Leapmotor Zhejiang Leapmotor# 4,273
36 Other British   3,077
37 Alfa Romeo Stellantis 3,000
38 Subaru Subaru Corporation^ 2,144
39 Smart Mercedes-Benz and Zhejiang Geely 1,770
40 Alpine Renault Group* 1,742
41 Jaguar Tata Motors 1,725
42 KGM KG Group 1,574
43 Other Imports   1,544
44 Genesis Hyundai Motor Company 1,225
45 DS Stellantis 1,015
46 Bentley Volkswagen Group 993
47 XPeng Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors 900
48 GWM Great Wall Motor Company 542
49 Geely Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 478
50 Maserati Stellantis 372
51 Changan China Changan Automobile Group 357
52 Abarth Stellantis 291
53 Ineos Ineos Automotive 263
54 Chevrolet General Motors 85
55 Maxus SAIC Motor Corporation 47
56 Skywell Skyworth Group 31

*Strategic partnership within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

^Shareholding owned by the Toyota Motor Corporation

#Shareholding owned by Stellantis

Which were the UK's best-selling cars in December 2025?

December's top 10 best-sellers were more diverse than the pattern for 2025 as a whole, including five models not in the overall year's most registered cars.

Statistics fans should note that this is the Jaecoo 7's fifth consecutive month among the top 10 best-sellers — not at all bad from a brand that was new to the UK less than a year ago. It will be interesting to see if that continues in 2026, a year in which at least one car from a Chinese-origin brand is likely to make the overall top 10 ranking.

  1. Ford Puma — 4680 registrations
  2. Tesla Model Y — 3737 registrations
  3. Volvo XC40 — 3319 registrations
  4. MG ZS — 3294 registrations
  5. Nissan Qashqai — 2887 registrations
  6. Jaecoo 7 — 2863 registrations
  7. MG HS — 2803 registrations
  8. MINI Cooper — 2581 registrations
  9. Tesla Model 3 — 2549 registrations
  10. Nissan Juke — 2326 registrations

Which were the UK's best-selling cars in November 2025?

Some quirks appear in November's top 10 best-sellers with four models not in the equivalent rankings for the year-to-date at that point.

An interesting inclusion was the Volkswagen T-Roc, which is on the cusp of being replaced by a brand new generation of models. Hopefully those buyers got some great deals as dealers flushed-out their remaining unsold stock:

  1. Ford Puma — 4859 registrations
  2. Kia Sportage — 3649 registrations
  3. Nissan Qashqai — 3004 registrations
  4. Nissan Juke — 2835 registrations
  5. Volkswagen T-Roc — 2768 registrations
  6. Volkswagen Golf — 2742 registrations
  7. Vauxhall Corsa — 2564 registrations
  8. Jaecoo 7 — 2404 registrations
  9. MINI Cooper — 2124 registrations
  10. Audi A3 — 2114 registrations

What are the UK's best-selling cars over the last 50 years?

Over the past 50 years the variety of brands, models, shapes and sizes of cars to have been the UK's annual-best-seller is extraordinary. Which of these cars have played a part in your motoring history?

What is the UK's best-selling car of all time?

With 4,132,294 sales to its name, the Ford Fiesta is the most popular car ever sold in the UK. Of course, that's the total number of cars badged Fiesta over seven generations across six different decades: