Honest John Guides

Best-selling cars in the UK 2025

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

Last year's best-selling car, the Ford Puma, has retained its position at the top of the sales charts in 2025 according to official figures supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Although the Kia Sportage ran the Puma very close during 2024, the Puma remains the year-to-date best-seller overall, even though the Kia topped April 2025's chart. This has narrowed the registrations gap between the two so far this year to fewer than 2000 cars.

That eight of the 10 best-sellers so far in 2025 are SUVs should no longer surprise anybody given how in-demand they've 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.

For the first four months of 2025 700,833 cars were registered, representing a modest 3.1% increase over 2024's tally of 679,822 over the corresponding period. While this is positive news, how much buyer confidence exists in May due to market instability following Donald Trump's tariff increases and new trade deal with the UK remains to be seen.

Petrol-engined cars continue to dominate with 49.3% of 2025's sales, although the 345,520 total represents a significant 10.0% decline over 2024's equivalent figures.

Electric cars have a 20.7% market share so far in 2025 with 144,749 sales representing an enormous 35.2% increase compared with the same period in 2024. The chances of the UK maintaining its status as Europe's largest market for pure EVs looks increasingly likely.

Self-charging hybrids have captured a 14.6% slice of the market with 102,591 registrations — a 14.6% rise over the same months in 2024.

After pure EVs, the largest growth has been with plug-in hybrids — these have enjoyed a 27.7% increase over 2024 so far, totting-up 67,759 registrations for a 9.7% stake of the market.

Diesel's decline continues in the UK, with a 13.2% fall in sales compared with 2024, taking just 5.7% of 2025's registrations so far. That still represents 40,214 cars making it worthwhile for those manufacturers which continue to offer diesel models.

Read on to find out more about 2025's best-selling UK cars — and how highly we rate them.

1. Ford Puma

18,241 registered

After a disappointing start to 2025's sales campaign, the Ford Puma seized the top spot in March with a very strong showing for the first full month of 74-plate sales, only to drop back to second place in April. It's one of the very best cars on sale full stop, not just among small SUVs, so its popularity is understandable. The Ford Puma has a huge boot and excellent handling, making it practical and fun to drive, with its range of mild hybrid 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines perfectly suiting the Puma's sportiness, while the comfortable cabin makes it great for urban jaunts and long motorway trips. It's also now available to order in fully electric guise as the Ford Puma Gen-E — will that model's introduction help it remain at the top for the rest of 2025?

Read our full Ford Puma review

2. Kia Sportage

16,380 registered

The current Kia Sportage is a distinctive looking, family-sized SUV — although, arguably less bold than the Hyundai Tucson it shares its underpinnings and engines with. It's no longer a budget buy, with a north of £30,000 starting price 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 Kia Sportage is on the brink of receiving a significant mid-life refresh — expect to see plenty of those facelifted models on the road later in in the year — but that didn't stop the outgoing design topping April 2025's sales.

Read our full Kia Sportage review

3. Nissan Qashqai

13,989 registered

A mid-life makeover for the 2024's best-selling British-built car has reinvigorated the Nissan Qashqai, keeping it looking fresh-faced in the company of newer rivals. 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 kind — 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. 

Read our full Nissan Qashqai review

4. Vauxhall Corsa

13,989 registered

Getting off to a strong start in 2025 is the Vauxhall Corsa, 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 now consigned to history, the Corsa could be picking up Blue Oval loyalists coming to the end of their PCP deals for a year or two yet. 

Read our full Vauxhall Corsa review

5. Nissan Juke

12,373 registered

Strong sales have seen the Nissan Juke cement its Top 10 ranking overall for 2025's year-to-date sales. Built alongside the Qashqai in the northeast of England, the Juke's styling remains distinctive but isn't as divisive as the original's, meaning its appeal's broader 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.

Read our full Nissan Juke review

6. Volkswagen Golf

12,348 registered

Comfort, solidity and fine handling are long-standing Volkswagen Golf hallmarks, qualities amplified further thanks to its 2024 facelift, which introduced interior improvements that have largely banished our previous gripes about this VW. The best-selling non-SUV of 2024, the Golf's available with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, in addition to mild and plug-in hybrid options, while the even roomier Volkswagen Golf Estate caters for those who need more space. 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.

Read our full Volkswagen Golf review

7. MG HS

11,016 registered

MG HS

Following a positive jump in sales during March, 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, appealing to those who don't yet feel ready to go full EV.  

Read our full MG HS review

8. Volkswagen Tiguan

10,664 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 friendly SUV that can prove inexpensive to run with a choice of efficient petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid drive systems. There are also some punchier performance-focused models although Volkswagen's stopped short of applying the GTI badge to the Tiguan's tailgate.

Read our full Volkswagen Tiguan review

9. Volvo XC40

10,612 registered

MG ZS

Despite its design now approaching its eighth birthday, the shrunken Tonka styling of the Volvo XC40 continues to ensure its popularity — so much so that strong April 2025 sales have seen it reappear in the year-to-date Top 10 best-sellers. Remember, that registration tally is only for the mild hybrid-equipped petrol-electric XC40s as for the past year the fully electric versions have been badged Volvo EX40 and no longer count towards these figures.

Read our full Volvo XC40 review

10. Hyundai Tucson

10,496 registered

Hyundai Tuscon

With a choice of hybridised engines that mirror those of its Kia Sportage close cousin, the Hyundai Tucson is the slightly pricier option. That fact, together with its styling which is arguably more of an acquired taste, has resulted in it not being as popular as the Kia-badged alternative, although appearing in the Top 10 of the UK car market's overall sales chart is self-evidently positive for business. Like many others in this ranking, the Tucson enjoyed a facelift and elevation in levels of standard equipment in 2024 — it's clearly a strategy that's appreciated by buyers of Hyundai's most popular model.

Read our full Hyundai Tuscon review

What were the UK's best-selling cars in April 2025?

Month-to-month sales often vary considerably from one another, just as they frequently do from the year-to-date picture. Compare April 2025's Top 10 below with the registrations for the year-to-date above and you'll notice a trio of absences:

  1. Kia Sportage — 3514 registrations
  2. Ford Puma — 3311 registrations
  3. Vauxhall Corsa — 2376 registrations
  4. Nissan Qashqai — 2197 registrations
  5. Audi A3 — 2112 registrations
  6. Volvo XC40 — 2008 registrations
  7. Nissan Juke — 1959 registrations
  8. Peugeot 2008 — 1822 registrations
  9. Hyundai Tucson — 1781 registrations
  10. MINI Cooper — 1624 registrations

What were the UK's best-selling cars in March 2025?

Month-to-month sales often vary considerably from one another, just as they frequently do from the overall year-to-date picture. Compare March 2025's top 10 with the registrations for the year so far and spot the differences:

  1. Ford Puma — 11132 registrations
  2. Kia Sportage — 7874 registrations
  3. Vauxhall Corsa — 6851 registrations
  4. Nissan Qashqai — 6844 registrations
  5. Nissan Juke — 6471 registrations
  6. Volkswagen Golf — 6447 registrations
  7. MG HS — 6337 registrations
  8. Ford Kuga — 5949 registrations
  9. MG ZS — 5907 registrations
  10. Volkswagen Tiguan — 5464 registrations

What are the UK's best-selling cars in 2025?

Volkswagen has enjoyed an impressive start to 2025 with a significant gulf between its top-ranking sales tally and BMW in second place, which in turn has a wafer-thin margin over Kia in third. Ford, which dominated the UK market for years is in fourth, just ahead of Audi which sailed past Peugeot and Nissan after a strong April showing.

There's less happy reading at the bottom of the chart for newcomers Skywell with just nine examples of its BE11 electric SUV registered so far in 2025:

Ranking Brand Manufacturing Group  2025 Registrations (to April)
1 Volkswagen Volkswagen Group 63,630
2 BMW BMW Group 43,645
3 Kia Hyundai Motor Company 43,383
4 Ford Ford Motor Company 41,709
5 Audi Volkswagen Group 35,823
6 Peugeot Stellantis 34,450
7 Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Group 32,786
8 Nissan Nissan Motor Corporation* 32,754
9 Vauxhall Stellantis 32,533
10 Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation 31,445
11 Hyundai Hyundai Motor Company 31,410
12 MG SAIC Motor Corporation 28,430
13 Skoda Volkswagen Group 28,055
14 Land Rover Tata Motors 24,932
15 Volvo Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 23,198
16 Renault Renault Group* 22,062
17 MINI BMW Group 15,561
18 Tesla Tesla Inc. 12,986
19 Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation^ 12,537
20 Cupra Volkswagen Group 12,237
21 BYD BYD Company 11,782
22 Dacia Renault Group* 11,238
23 Honda Honda Motor Co. 10,108
24 SEAT Volkswagen Group 8,795
25 Suzuki Suzuki Motor Corporation^ 6,940
26 Porsche Volkswagen Group 6,556
27 Lexus Toyota Motor Corporation 5,447
28 Citroen Stellantis 5,347
29 Jeep Stellantis 4,900
30 Polestar Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 4,554
31 Fiat Stellantis 4,373
32 Jaecoo Chery Automobile Co. 4,288
33 Omoda Chery Automobile Co. 4,104
34 Jaguar Tata Motors 1,725
35 Other British   1,328
36 Alfa Romeo Stellantis 950
37 Subaru Subaru Corporation^ 916
38 Other Imports   731
39 KGM KG Group 585
40 Smart Mercedes-Benz and Zhejiang Geely 557
41 Genesis Hyundai Motor Company 460
42 Bentley Volkswagen Group 362
43 Leapmotor Zhejiang Leapmotor# 301
44 DS Stellantis 230
45 Abarth Stellantis 159
46 GWM Great Wall Motor Company 124
47 Maserati Stellantis 114
48 Alpine Renault Group* 99
49 Ineos Ineos Automotive 77
50 XPeng Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors 45
51 Maxus SAIC Motor Corporation 32
52 Chevrolet General Motors 31
53 Skywell Skyworth Group 9

*Strategic partnership within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

^Shareholding owned by the Toyota Motor Corporation

#Shareholding owned by Stellantis

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: