- UK new car registrations surged 24% in April to 149,247 units.
- Chinese brands captured 16.5% market share with 24,669 April registrations.
- Battery electric vehicles hit over 2 million cumulative UK registrations, now 26.2% of April sales.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), new car registrations in the UK reached 149,247 units in April 2026, up 24.0% year-on-year.
Against the backdrop of overall market recovery, electrification remained the primary growth driver.
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 26.2% of registrations, up nearly 6 percentage points from a year earlier, while plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 13.8%, an increase of 2.1 percentage points year-on-year.
On a cumulative basis, by the end of April, total battery electric vehicle registrations in the UK exceeded 2 million units for the first time, marking a key milestone with a year-on-year increase of 59.1%.
SMMT data showed that 12 Chinese brands entered the UK new car registration rankings in April, with total registrations reaching 24,669 units, representing a market share of 16.5%.
Among them, SAIC Motor’s MG brand remained the most stable contributor. It led Chinese brands in April with 7,005 registrations, up 85% year-on-year.
From January to April, MG recorded cumulative registrations of 30,883 units, accounting for 4.04% of the UK market.
The MG HS ranked eighth among best-selling models with 11,293 units, maintaining strong competitiveness in the mainstream segment.
BYD delivered faster growth, with April registrations reaching 5,059 units, up 101.5% year-on-year, representing a 2.09% market share.
Cumulative registrations from January to April totaled 26,396 units, up 124% year-on-year.
Notably, BYD sold 12,754 battery electric vehicles in the UK year-to-date, becoming the best-selling EV brand in the market with a share exceeding 7%.
The Chery group expanded through a multi-brand strategy. In April, Chery, Omoda, and Jaecoo recorded registrations of 2,900, 3,275, and 3,877 units, respectively.
Among them, the JAECOO 7 reached cumulative sales of 17,668 units year-to-date, ranking third among best-selling models, behind the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage.
At the same time, other Chinese brands are accelerating their presence in the UK.
Year-to-date registrations stood at 3,244 units for Geely, 3,676 units for Leapmotor, 441 units for XPeng, and 969 units for Changan Automobile.
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