Consumer interest in EVs under £37,000 has doubled off the back of the government’s proposed Electric Car Grant, Auto Trader has said.

The marketplace recorded a 17% year-on-year increase on its new car platform this month, as buyers start their new car research ahead of the September plate change.

In July so far, the volume of new cars being advertised on Auto Trader is currently up 8% compared to the same period last year.

Average new car discounts across all fuel types softened slightly with discounts decreasing from 9.4% in June to 9.3% in July.

The discounts on electric models remained steady, however, with July and June both recording 10.6% off RRP.

This comes as the government recently announced the Electric Car Grant, although precise details around the scheme remain thin has prompted a whole swathe of manufacturers to introduce their own schemes.

Auto Trader said that the share of electric enquiries for new cars priced £37,000 and under on its platform doubled in a day – up from 15% to 29% on the day after the announcement (July 15). In addition to this, the share of EV enquiries for all new cars increased by 10 percentage points to 25% on the 15th July.

When it comes to the most popular models, the Range Rover Sport was the hottest model in July for a third successive month, with a 3.9% share of all new car enquiries, while BMW was the most popular brand.

MG was the most popular electric car brand and its new MGS5 was the hottest car.

The full list of the most popular cars and brands is below.

Commenting on the data, Bex Kennett, new car performance director at Auto Trader, said: ‘July has been a solid month for the new car market as visits to our new car platform continue to rise year on year.

‘Although consumer demand for new EVs on our platform have been somewhat flat in the last few months post tax and ZEV mandate changes, the recent Electric Car Grant introduced by the government is positive news for manufacturers, retailers and private buyers as this will help support new EV sales.

‘With our data showing that car buyers are already thinking about their new car purchases ahead of the next plate change and the volume of people looking at new EVs has risen following the government funding announcement, it’s more important than ever that retailers take advantage of this and maximise visibility of their new car stock with a highly engaged new car audience.’

Most in-demand new cars (by share of enquires) in July

1. Range Rover Sport – 3.9%

2. Volkswagen Golf – 2.9%

3. Range Rover – 2.6%

4. MG5 – 2.5%

5. Jaecoo 7 – 2.4%

6. MG HS – 2.2%

7. Audi RS3 – 1.7%

8. Land Rover Defender 110 – 1.5%

9. BYD Seal U – 1.3%

10. MG ZS – 1.1%

Most in demand new car brands (by share of enquires) in July 2025

1. BMW – 11.7%

2. Land Rover – 10.3%

3. Audi – 10.0%

4. Volkswagen – 9.1%

5. MG – 7.1%

6. Hyundai – 3.8%

7. Skoda – 3.5%

8. Renault – 2.8%

9. Porsche – 2.6%

10. Kia – 2.6%

Most in-demand new EVs (by share of enquires) in July

1. MGS5 – 11.9%

2. Renault 5-E Tech electric – 5.2%

3. Alpine A290 – 4.2%

4. Volkswagen ID. Buzz – 4.1%

5. Dacia Spring – 3.9%

6. BMW i4 – 3.3%

7. MG4 – 3.1%

8. BMW iX – 2.9%

9.Audi Q6 e-tron – 2.7%

10. Skoda Elroq – 2.7%

Most in-demand EV car brands (by share of enquires) in July

1. MG – 15.5%

2. BMW – 9.0%

3. Volkswagen – 7.8%

4. Renault – 6.3%

5. Audi – 6.1%

6. BYD – 5.8%

7. Hyundai – 4.6%

8. Alpine – 4.1%

9. Dacia – 3.8%

10. Skoda – 3.7%

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