9:31 am, March 5, 2026
New car registrations in February were the best for over 20 years new data shows, but once again calls have been made to review the ZEV mandate.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the new car market rose 7.2% last month, with 90,100 vehicles registered.
The trade body said it was the best February since 2004, with buyers traditionally holding off purchasing new vehicles and waiting for March’s new plate.
Demand was mostly driven by private retail registrations, which were up 17.6% to 35,227 units, although the market was still dominated by fleets, accounting for 59.4%.
The Ford Puma was February’s top-seller, recording 3,220 registrations, followed by the Kia Sportage (2,205) and the Mini Cooper (1,828). The top five was rounded of by the Tesla Model 3 (1,584) and Jaecoo 7 (1,446).
The Puma is the year-to-date leader at 6,935, followed by the Sportage (6,880) and Jaecoo 7 (5,505).
Pure-electric cars rose 2.8% to 21,840 units, representing 24.2% of the market, but the SMMT said February was the second consecutive month of decline in BEV market share compared with the same period last year.
However, the figures are skewed by BEV buyers rushing to purchase EVs before April 2025’s new tax rates, and a strong push from manufacturers to prop up ZEV targets at the end of 2025.
Plug-in hybrids grew the most, up 43.5% to claim an 11.6% market share, while hybrid electric registrations rose 3.3% to a 13.1% share.
Petrols rose 5.2% but share slipped to 46.5%, while diesel volumes continued to decline, down 3.8% to just 4.5% of the market.
The SMMT has once again warned an urgent review of the ZEV mandate is needed. It noted that with BEV market share currently at 22.0%, it’s two-thirds of the required 33%.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘The UK’s new car market is continuing to recover and EV volumes are growing too, even if market share remains disappointing.
‘All eyes are now on “new plate” March, which typically sets the tone for the year – and given sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars are currently required to end in less than four years, EV uptake must accelerate rapidly.
‘Manufacturers have committed monumental investment to drive demand but such costs cannot be sustained indefinitely, making a review of the transition an urgent priority to ensure ambition matches natural demand.’
