Electric car registrations in October reached their highest share of total UK sales this year at almost 33%, as the overall market continued to grow.
The Skoda Enyaq was the biggest electric seller in the month, followed by the Mini Countryman, figures from the SMMT show.
The Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s top seller for the second consecutive month with 3412 sales in October, closely followed the Ford Puma, which remains the UK’s overall best-seller for the year.
Volkswagen remained the UK’s favourite brand with a market share of 9.0% in the month, with BMW overtaking Audi for second spot with a 5.6% share. Sales overall grew 5.4% at 152,730.
Chinese brands again shone in October but their combined market share of 21.3% was lower than for the month of September, when it stood at a record 23.3%.
MG remained the leading Chinese brand in the UK after an 85% increase in sales compared to the same month last year, landing it in fourth spot ahead of Kia and Skoda. Jaecoo was ninth and BYD 10th.
Strong EV sales in October came without the might of Tesla, which recorded just 282 registrations after its September push, when it topped electric sales in the country. Instead Kia was the overall no1 EV seller according to data from independent transport researcher New AutoMotive.
The EV share for the month came within a whisker of reaching the government’s mandated figure of 33% for the year. The EV share has steadily risen throughout 2026 as buyers reacted to the rising fuel prices caused by the Iran war as well the increased availability of more affordable models.
The overall EV share for the year stands at 30.4%, although flexibilities in the ZEV mandate system means car makers only have to reach 24.6%, according to calculations from New AutoMotive.
Car makers are hopeful that the government’s review of the ZEV mandate will lower the rising targets, which are currently required to reach 80% of sales by 2030.
The rise of EVs and plug-in hybrids has bitten into demand for petrol cars, which accounted for 37% of sales, down from 41% same month the year before. Diesel meanwhile dropped to a new low of 3.8% after recording just 5,811 sales in the month.
Hybrids also suffered after sales dropped 5% in the month. Plug-in hybrids meanwhile grew sales by 30%, overtaking hybrids with a 15% share vs 12%.
