UK EV sales surge 36% to record high in September — SkimNews
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- UK EV registrations hit 99,199 battery-electric cars in September, up 36.3% year-on-year and a 28.3% market share, per SMMT preliminary data — an all-time monthly record.
- Tesla's Model 3 was September's best-selling EV and the #2 car in the UK overall with 9,929 units, while the Model Y added 5,946 units (#5 overall), meaning the two Teslas accounted for 16% of all EVs registered that month.
- The overall UK car market grew 12.1% to 350,518 new registrations, its best September since 2017, with all net growth (37,725 cars) coming from plug-ins; plug-in hybrids surged 55.7% to a record 59,563 units, pushing combined plug-in share to 45.3% versus petrol's 37.6%.
- Chinese-brand EVs made inroads, with BYD's Sealion 7 (3,191) and Seal (3,184) taking the next two EV spots after Tesla and Leapmotor's B10 (1,883) cracking the top 10, while the best-selling car in the UK in September was the Chinese Jaecoo 7 SUV (a Chery model) at 10,813 units.
- The ZEV mandate's 2026 headline target of 33% is mathematically unreachable in Q4 — EVs would need roughly 60% of the remaining market for three straight months, but flexibilities (CO2 credits, borrowing, trading) bring the "real" 2026 target to 24.6%, per New AutoMotive, which the market is already exceeding at 26.2% year-to-date.
- SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes credited more model choice and high fuel prices for the record, then used the moment to push back on government policy, arguing the UK still has "the world's toughest targets and highest energy costs" and that rules should be brought closer to "actual demand."
Why it matters: The UK's EV market is pulling ahead of its own regulatory glide path — 26.2% year-to-date share already clears the 24.6% adjusted 2026 target New AutoMotive calculates — which undercuts the SMMT's case for loosening the mandate even as Chinese brands (BYD, Leapmotor, Chery's Jaecoo) keep winning spots in the top 10 against Tesla.
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