The UK’s new-car market saw a bumper month of registrations, as BEVs achieved a new milestone in the country.
There were 149,247 registrations in April, according to the latest data from the SMMT. This was up by 24% compared to the same period last year. The result was buoyed by a rise in petrol deliveries, while electrified models continued their positive performance.
However, the increase in figures came after an unnatural low result in April 2025. A change in the UK’s vehicle excise duty (VED) saw many registrations pulled forward into the earlier part of the year. Therefore, the general performance of the market will likely not be seen until the coming months.
The SMMT has also revised its forecast for the year. Registrations are now expected to reach 2.09 million units, an increase of 3.6% year on year. This is up from January’s 2.05 million-unit outlook. Further growth is expected in 2027, with the market reaching 2.12 million units.
the figures come as the SMMT also confirmed that the UK car parc continued to age in 2025, meaning garages are going to play an increasingly important role in keeping drivers on the road.
ICE registrations improve
The internal-combustion engine (ICE) market has been in decline for many months in the UK. However, April represented its strongest performance for some time. Yet it was not enough to prevent it slipping behind electrified powertrains in terms of market dominance.
Combined petrol and diesel deliveries saw growth of 7.3% in the month, driven by a good performance for petrol. However, while diesel saw yet another decline, its volumes remained broadly stable year-on-year.
The SMMT reports its mild-hybrid (MHEV) powertrain figures with their respective petrol and diesel counterparts. This can make the UK figures appear uncoordinated with other market trends.
However, even with the MHEV numbers included, ICE registrations have seen steady decreases. Yet 2026 seems to be altering this trend.
In April, petrol volumes increased by 8.2%, with 63,541 units. The result equated to a 42.6% market share, although with increases amongst other powertrains, this dropped by 6.2 percentage points (pp). However, this was the second time in 2026 that petrol has seen deliveries rise, as it remained the dominant force in the UK new-car market.
Across the first four months of 2026, a total of 340,230 petrol models have been registered, a decline of just 1.5% year on year. While the fuel type still leads the market by volume, its 44.5% share was down 4.8pp.
Diesel performs better
Meanwhile, diesel deliveries fell 1% in April, although the 6,341-delivery total was only down 67 units compared to the same period in 2025. However, with a 4.2% market share, this figure dropped 1.1pp.
Between January and April, diesel saw a decline of 8.4%, with 36,827 registrations. Meanwhile, its 4.8% share of the market total was down 0.9pp.
Yet despite petrol seeing its best year-on-year performance for some time, and diesel remained relatively stable, it was not able to remain the dominant powertrain grouping. Its 46.8% share in April was down 7.3pp, while in the first four months of the year, a 2.2% volume decrease saw its share slip 5.7pp, to 49.3%.
EV forecast causes concern
The registrations of BEVs had slowed during the first quarter of the year. This was likely due to the pull forward effect from last year. Compared to a slightly reduced performance in April 2025, deliveries of all-electric models increased 59.1% year on year.
This meant that, in total, 39,084 units left showrooms in the month, giving the technology a 26.2% market share.
With BEVs becoming subject to vehicle excise duty (VED) from April 2025, the rush for buyers to register their vehicles in March, or earlier, during last year created a pull-forward effect. Therefore, the market has been playing catch up in 2026. This led to a reduced market share, and after April, BEVs held 23.1% of the UK total volume after four months of 2026.
This is still some way below the zero-emission vehicle mandated target of 33% for the year. Despite deliveries increasing by 22.1%, to 176,698 units in this time, much more will be needed to meet the target.
According to the SMMT, however, the forecast share for BEVs in 2026 has been downgraded after the poor first quarter. They are expected to reach 26.8% of the total for the year, down from 28.5% estimated in January.
For 2027, BEVs are forecast to reach a 32% market share, well below the mandated target of 38%. While BEVs celebrated a milestone, reaching two million registrations in the UK, the distance from the mandated target in both 2026 and 2027 forecasts is a concern.
‘Other major international markets are revising their transition plans to reflect geopolitical and market realities. The UK similarly needs an urgent review of the transition to avoid being put in an uncompetitive position, undermining consumer choice, investment and growth,’ the SMMT highlighted.
PHEV popularity continues
PHEVs again continued their strong performance, with a 46.4% increase in April. In total, 20,597 units made it to UK roads. This marked the first time since August 2025 that the powertrain recorded a higher volume than full hybrids (HEVs).
The PHEV sector has been growing in strength this year, buoyed by models such as the Jaecoo 7, which led registrations figures in March. Although this dropped to 10th position in April, it still helped the powertrain towards improvement. In all, the technology commanded 13.8% of April’s overall figures, up 2.1pp.
After four months of the year, PHEVs saw growth of 46.5%, the best-performing powertrain in terms of volume increase. With 99,263 units, it held 13% of the market, up 3.3pp.
This result meant that the electric vehicle (EV) market saw a 54.5% year-on-year rise in April, taking a 40% market share. This was a jump of 7.9pp compared to the same point last year. Between January and April, EV registrations were up 29.9%, with a 36.1% market share, a rise of 5.8pp.
HEVs start to slow
In total, 19,711 HEVs were registered last month, an 18.8% improvement. This was enough for a 13.2% market share, but with better volume rises for BEVs and PHEVs, this was 0.6pp lower than April 2025.
The HEV market has been a slow burner for 2026, with figures after four months of the year up by 8.3%. As 111,083 units made their way to the road, the technology held a 14.5% share of the UK total, down 0.1pp.
Combining HEVs into the EV mix, the electrified market led ICE for the second month in succession. With 79,392 registrations, the grouping was up 43.8%, with a 53.2% hold in April. This also helped the technology jump ahead after four months of the year. With 387,044 deliveries, this was a 22.8% increase, providing a slim lead with a 50.7% share, following a 50/50 split after the first quarter.
With ICE deliveries experiencing a rollercoaster ride in 2026, it is not clear whether electrified registrations can quickly pull further ahead. But as the market experiences more growth, April may well be the tipping point for ICE.
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