The UK new car market had a decent February.

90,100 new cars were registered, which is 7.2% up on last year according to figures from the Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

That actually makes it the best February in more than 20 years, although February is normally a quiet month because of buyers hold off until March when the new number plates arrive.

Most of the growth came from private buyers. Private registrations were up 17.6% which is a solid jump. Fleet sales make up almost 60% of all registrations.

Electric cars also moved forward but not by much. Battery electric vehicles (BEV) made up 24.2% of the market with 21,840 registrations up 2.8%. This is the second month in a row where EV market share has slipped compared with last year. 

Plug in hybrids had the biggest jump, up 43.5% which is 11.6% of the overall market.

Petrol cars are still the biggest part of the market. registrations rose 5.2% although market share slipped a bit to 46.5%. Diesel keeps fading away dropping 3.8% and now only accounts for 4.5% of the registrations.

So far this year, EVs make up about 22% of the market. That is still a long way from the 33% share that is expected by 2026.

For now, all we will all look towards March and the new plate change which will give a clearer picture of where the new car market is really heading.

The Ford Puma was the UK’s most registered new car in February and also leads the year to date figures.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

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.