The UK new car market showed very encouraging signs, recording its best May since 2019 according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
New car registrations grew by 7.1% to 160,662 units. Perhaps surprisingly, it was private buyers who drove the increase in registrations, with private new car registrations up by 17.2%.
Unsurprisingly, the UK’s best selling car last month was the Ford Puma. It also leads the year-to-date sales charts, followed by the Kia Sportage in second place and the Jaecoo 7 in third.
Britain’s car buyers are responding to a market offering more choice than ever, from both new and familiar brands, resulting in a robust May. The EV transition is progressing, but consumer uptake still lags behind even today’s targets, let alone the ambition set out in the latest Carbon Budget. While industry shares the long-term ambition, the pathway to Net Zero must be credible. It cannot come at the cost of lost competitiveness and deindustrialisation. A review of the transition is now urgent to ensure ambition matches market realities and we have a sustainable path to road transport decarbonisation.
Said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive.
About the author
Sheridan is an independent automotive editor and founder of We Blog Any Car. With over 30 years’ experience in the motor industry, his work focuses on market insight, buying signals, and real world automotive analysis, with a particular interest in the modern classic market.
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