The UK’s new-car market posted its strongest March result since 2019, as the country’s plate-change period helped boost overall volumes.
According to the latest data from the SMMT, last month, 380,627 new cars made their way to customers. This was an increase of 6.6% compared to 2025, equating to an extra 23,524 units.
March is one of two important months for the UK market, the other being September. During these times, new registration plates are released, making deliveries more attractive in the period. Last month, new ‘26’ plates were released, with ‘76’ plates due in September.
In 2025, March was the strongest month of the year, accounting for 17.6% of the annual registrations total. With the SMMT pointing out that current crisis in Iran likely to impact the market, the same pattern may occur in 2026.
Across the first quarter of the year, UK registrations are up by 5.9%, with 614,854 units delivered to customers. This is an improvement of 34,352 passenger cars.
Record results in March
March was the best month on record for electrified vehicles. This category includes full hybrids (HEVs), battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). A total of 196,059 units were delivered, a 23.1% increase year on year.
The figures suggest that vehicle manufacturers are continuing to push for transport decarbonisation
The volume was also above that of ICE figures for the first time this year. The UK reports its ICE figures differently from other markets. Mild-hybrid powertrains are merged with their respective petrol and diesel counterparts, rather than being included with HEV figures.
Having overtaken the petrol and diesel group for the first time in September last year, 2026 saw the electrified market slip behind once again. March’s strong result may be the start of a period of dominance for the group.
After three months of the year, electrified passenger cars had overtaken ICE, thanks to their performance in March. With 307,652 registrations, the group was just 450 units ahead of the combined petrol and diesel performance. This was enough for a 50% market share.
While ICE and electrified models maintain similar market shares, the registrations of petrol and diesel models are falling, in favour of HEV, BEV and PHEV units. For the aftermarket, this is crucial. Awareness and training on electric vehicles will help to futureproof businesses, and keep customers happy.
In March, the best-selling model was the Jaecoo 7 PHEV, beating away more seasoned cars such as the Ford Puma, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Golf. Chinese brands are continuing to increase their market share in the UK, as buyers look for affordable electric models.
If drivers are buying these vehicles due to price, they will be more likely to shop around for servicing, especially when these models hit MOT age. Therefore, workshops need to be ready.
BEVs continue to grow
BEVs were once again the second-best-selling powertrain type in the UK last month. With 86,120 deliveries, they made up 22.6% of the market. The figure was a record total for all-electric registrations, with volumes increasing 24.2% compared to March 2025.
March also saw the first year-on-year improvement in BEV market share of 2026. However, while the technology’s hold was 3.2 percentage points (pp) higher, it is some way behind the requirement in the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
This is emphasised further by the powertrain’s performance in the first quarter of the year. Deliveries have improved by 14.5%, with 137,614 units taking to the road. However, the market share of 22.4%, while 1.7pp higher year-on-year, is 10.6pp below the mandated target.
For 2026, vehicle manufacturers are required to ensure that 33% of their passenger cars registered in the UK are zero-emission models. Yet, the overall market has failed to meet the target in the first two years of the mandate.
Calls for review into EV transition
At the recent SMMT Electrified conference, chief executive Mike Hawes highlighted how the market had changed since the ZEV mandate was first proposed. At the start of 2026, battery costs were more than 30% higher than expected and industrial energy prices around 80% above 2021 levels. Additionally, public charging can cost over 140% more than five years ago.
In addition, the SMMT has also highlighted that the current Iran situation, which is impacting oil prices, may spark interest in BEVs. Yet with a risk of higher energy prices and supply-chain costs, the increased cost of living could undermine consumer confidence.
These geopolitical changes have added urgency to the automotive market’s calls for a rapid review of the ZEV transition. The SMMT has pointed to other markets, which have amended their future plans, reflecting current market realities. While the UK government holds firm, however, carmakers are having to invest heavily in both development and discounting to meet ZEV mandate targets.
‘Delays to a review of the UK transition will put the country in an uncompetitive position, undermining consumer choice, investment and, ultimately, the pace of decarbonisation,’ the industry body said in a statement.
PHEV popularity continues
While the debate about the electric transition continues, the UK’s PHEV market has been gathering strength. March saw the powertrain continue its run of strong results, with a 46.9% improvement year on year. This equated to 15,856 more units.
In total, 49,671 units made it to customers in the month, giving the technology a 13% market share. This is up by 3.5pp compared to a year prior.
The PHEV market has been boosted by popularity of the Jaecoo 7, which hit the country’s market in February 2025. With 10,064 units registered in the plate-change month, it accounted for 20.3% of total PHEV deliveries.
In the first quarter, PHEVs have seen volumes increase by 46.5% compared to the same period in 2025. With 78,666 units, this offered the powertrain a 12.8% slice of the market, up 3.6pp. Again, the Jaecoo 7 has helped this growth, with 19.8% of the PHEV market, as it held second in the best-seller table, behind the Ford Puma.
Combining PHEV and BEV figures, the electric vehicle (EV) market saw a 31.7% rise in March, with 135,791 units. This was enough for a 35.7% market share, a rise of 6.8pp year on year. After three months, EV figures had improved by 24.4%, with 216,280 deliveries, a 35.2% hold of total registrations.
ICE remains strong
While electrified models continue to see volume increases, deliveries of petrol and diesel cars suffer in monthly registration figures. Despite this, petrol remained the dominant force in the UK market during March.
The fuel-type saw 165,997 units delivered to customers, a drop of 6.1% compared to the same month last year. Having seen a rare increase in volumes during February, this result was a return to a regular trend of decline. Yet the powertrain still held 43.6% of the market. While this was a drop of 5.9pp, petrol remained 21pp ahead of its nearest challenger, BEVs.
Following a strong February result, and a smaller decrease in January, petrol-powered cars sat 3.5% down after the first quarter, with 276,689 units delivered. Yet despite this, the technology still held 45% of the market, a 4.4pp drop.
Diesel popularity continued to wane, with March seeing figures fall by 11.4% to 18,571 units. This was only good enough for a 4.9% share of the market, down from the 5.9% recorded a year prior. Between January and March, diesel deliveries totalled 30,513 units, down 9.8%, with a share of just 5%.
Combining the powertrains, ICE registrations dropped 6.7% in the month with 184,568 units. This was good enough for a 48.5% share of total deliveries, falling behind the electrified market for the first time in 2026.
This means that after the first quarter, both ICE and electrified groups shared a 50% hold of the UK new-car market. With 307,202 registrations, the combined petrol and diesel grouping was 4.2% down year-on-year.
HEV pulls ahead in UK hybrid race
HEVs continued to be the third-best powertrain in the UK during March. Its 60,268 registrations was enough for a 7.3% increase compared to the same period last year. However, its 15.8% market share was just 0.1pp up year on year.
Towards the end of 2025, the HEV and PHEV markets were battling for third position. However, just like in 2025, HEVs have started stronger in terms of unit totals. After the first quarter, the powertrain has seen a 4.2% rise in volumes, with 91,372 deliveries.
This was good enough for a 14.9% market share. Yet with stronger growth for PHEVs and BEVs, the powertrain’s hold of the market only rose by 0.1pp compared to the same run in 2025. The unit gap between HEVs and PHEVs has risen, thanks to the better volume total in March for full hybrids. But with plug-in hybrids increasing in popularity, the technology could close the gap in the coming months.
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