UK car sales skid for fourth month as Ford Puma loses crown

Not the best start of 2025.

By: Angel Sergeev

Feb 7, 2025 at 3:07am ET

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New car registrations in the United Kingdom took a 2.5 per cent dip in January, totalling 139,345 units, as reported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This marks the fourth consecutive month of decline, with shaky consumer confidence and a bumpy economic road to blame.

Both fleet and private buyer registrations felt the pinch, dropping by 3.7 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively. Business registrations, however, managed a modest 2.4 per cent uptick – though in the grand scheme, that's just 55 extra vehicles rolling off the lots.

The Ford Puma kicked off the year trying to defend its title as the best-selling model in the UK for 2024, though it failed to keep the crown staying 1,144 cars behind January’s leader, the Kia Sportage. Ford's crossover ended the month in seventh place, while the Nissan Qashqai and the Vauxhall Corsa came second and third behind the leader.

UK's best-selling models in October 2024:

1. Kia Sportage - 3,476

2. Nissan Qashqai - 3,421

3. Vauxhall Corsa - 3,379

4. Volkswagen Golf - 2,614

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5. Peugeot 3008 - 2,567

6. Peugeot 2008 - 2,478

7. Ford Puma - 2,332

8. Nissan Juke - 2,320

9. MG HS - 2,148

10. MG ZS - 2,107

Petrol-powered cars saw a significant decline, plummeting by 15.3 per cent to just over half (50.3 per cent) of the market share. Diesel wasn't far behind, sliding 7.7 per cent to a mere 6.2 per cent share. On the flip side, hybrids and plug-in hybrids revved up their presence, capturing 13.2 per cent and 9.0 per cent of the market, respectively. Battery electric vehicles continued their upward trajectory, accelerating by 41.6 per cent year-on-year to seize a 21.3 per cent market share.

Despite this electric enthusiasm, BEVs are still idling below the government's 22 per cent target for last year and are even further behind the ambitious 28 per cent goal set for 2025. This shortfall highlights the pressing need for a tune-up in the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme to avoid potential roadblocks for the market, industry, and consumers alike.

Looking ahead, the crystal ball forecasts a slight 0.2 per cent decline in the new car market for 2025, bringing it to 1.95 million units. BEV uptake is expected to climb by 20.9 per cent to 462,000 units, accounting for a 23.7 per cent market share – still shy of the 28 per cent target. The gap is anticipated to widen in 2026, with BEVs projected to make up 28.3 per cent of the market against a 33 per cent target. This growing disparity underscores the need for substantial market incentives to keep pace with these lofty ambitions.

Source: SMMT