10:44 am, January 6, 2026
Chinese car brands saw the biggest sales increases in 2025, but the legacy carmakers still dominated market share.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the 2025 new car market topped 2.02m registrations.
It was the third consecutive year of growth, and the first time the car market has surpassed two million registrations this decade.
Chinese car brands BYD, Omoda and Jaecoo locked out the top three places when looking at the biggest increases in year-to-date registrations, while German titans Audi and Mercedes-Benz found themselves towards the bottom of the table.
Excluding Chevrolet – which was buoyed by the expansion of its Corvette dealerships in 2025 – Chinese carmakers dominated when it came to the biggest year-on-year percentage changes, with Jaecoo leading the way.
However, legacy brands still held the firmest grip on the UK car market last year, with Volkswagen remaining on top with 178,607 registrations. It was followed by BMW and Ford.
Read on to see the data in tables, plus the SMMT’s complete registrations by marque data table is at the bottom of this story.
Top 10 brands by year-to-date (YTD) sales
1. Volkswagen
2025 registrations: 178,607
Up 12,303 units
YoY%: +7.4%
2. BMW
2025 registrations: 122,723
Down 2,542 units
YoY%: -2.0%
3. Ford
2025 registrations: 118,998
Up 9,043 units
YoY%: +8.2%
4. Kia
2025 registrations: 113,436
Up 1,184 units
YoY%: +1.1%
5. Audi
2025 registrations: 111,115
Down 11,316 units
YoY%: -9.2%
6. Hyundai
2025 registrations: 93,124
Up 1,316 units
YoY%: +1.4%
7. Toyota
2025 registrations: 90,126
Down 11,318 units
YoY%: -11.2%
8. Nissan
2025 registrations: 90,102
Down 10,344 units
YoY%: -10.3%
9. Mercedes-Benz
2025 registrations: 89,267
Down 13,490 units
YoY%: -13.1%
10. MG
2025 registrations: 85,155
Up 3,619 units
YoY%: +4.4%
Biggest increases (absolute YTD registrations)
1. BYD (+42,634)
2. Jaecoo (+28,023)
3. Omoda (+16,226)
4. Peugeot (+14,139)
5. Volkswagen (+12,303)
Biggest decreases (absolute YTD registrations)
1. Seat (-13,767)
2. Mercedes-Benz (-13,490)
3. Toyota (-11,318)
4. Audi (-11,316)
5. Nissan (-10,344)
Biggest increases (YTD) – % change
1. Jaecoo (+13,408%)
2. Chevrolet (+8,400%)
3. BYD (+485%)
4. Omoda (+447%)
5. Skywell (+417%)
Biggest decreases (YTD) % change
1. Fisker (-100%)
2. Abarth (-71.7%)
3. GWM (-53.4%)
4. Fiat (-38.5%)
5. Seat (-37.4%)
