10:11 am, January 6, 2026
The Ford Puma has retained its crown as Britain’s best-selling new car after a major hike in registrations in 2025.
The Blue Oval’s compact crossover has topped the list for a third year in a row after SMMT data revealed that 55,488 were registered throughout 2025.
The figure is significantly clear of the 49,591 and 48,340 that sold in 2023 and 2024 respectively, with the Ford’s popularity showing no signs of waining anytime soon.
Meanwhile, the Kia Sportage took the silver medal position for the second year running with 47,788 registrations, ahead of the Nissan Qashqai (41,141), which was also the last car to beat the Puma way back in 2022.
Elsewhere, the Vauxhall Corsa (35,947) and Nissan Juke (34,773) rounded off the top five.
When it came to the best-selling EVs, the list is dominated by premium models, led by the Tesla Model Y which bagged 24,298 registrations.
While still enough to make it Britain’s best-selling electric car, the figure is well down on last year, when 32,862 sales were registered.
Elsewhere, the Model Y’s stablemate – the Model 3 – came in second place with 21,188 units sold, ahead of Audi’s Q4 E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron, which finished on 14,433 and 13,148 respectively.
As well as the year-end figures, the SMMT has also revealed the best-sellers of December.
As with the overall data, the Puma ended the month on top of the pile with 4,680 registrations, followed by the Model Y on 3,737.
The Volvo XC40 – the seventh biggest seller of 2025 overall – finished December in third on 3,319, while the MG ZS was fourth on 3,294, despite failing to make the top ten for the year as a whole.
Car Dealer reported earlier this morning (Jan 6) that new car registrations topped two million last year for the first time this decade, but the SMMT is warning that carmakers discounting new EV sales is ‘unsustainable’.
Reacting to the data, the trade body’s CEO, Mike Hawes, said: ‘The new car market finally reaching two million registrations for the first time this decade is a reasonably solid result amid tough economic and geopolitical headwinds.
‘Rising EV uptake is an undoubted positive, but the pace is still too slow and the cost to industry too high.
‘Government has stepped in with the Electric Car Grant, but a new EV tax, additional charges for EV drivers in London and costly public charging send mixed signals.
‘Given developments abroad, government should bring forward its review and act urgently to deliver a vibrant market, a sustainable industry and an investment proposition that keeps the UK at the forefront of global competition.’
