EVs accounted for more than a quarter of all new car registrations last month, according to new data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Of the 82,908 cars registered in the UK during August, 21,969 were battery-electric – an increase of 14.9% for the powertrain compared with the same month last year.
That gave EVs a market share of 26.5% for the month, up from 22.9% a year ago.
The SMMT attributed the increase in part to the government’s introduction of the Electric Car Grant, with significant discounts on some models boosting interest.
But it also noted that EVs’ market share tends to be disproportionately high in August, as private car buyers hold out for September’s numberplate changeover.
This means that fleets – which strongly favour EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) for their significant tax benefits compared with other powertrain types – represent a greater portion of sales that month.
Indeed, for the full year so far, EVs have a market share of 21.9%, although this is still a significant increase on the 17.2% recorded at the same point last year.
Plug-in hybrids almost doubled their market share compared with August 2024, rising from 6.8% to 11.8%.
Meanwhile, petrol, diesel and other hybrid registrations were all down.
Petrol car sales fell from 43,534 a year ago to 37,373 in August 2025, taking their market share to below half (45.1%).
Regular (ie non-PHEV) hybrids dipped from 10,977 to 9456, giving a share of 11.4%, while diesel sales dropped from 5165 to 4307, a share of 5.1%.
The best-selling model so far this year is the Ford Puma, with 33,221 registrations, followed by the Kia Sportage (29,279) and the Nissan Qashqai (25,271).
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the month ahead will be “critical”, with September typically accounting for around 14% of all new car registrations for the year.
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