5th Feb 2026 09:44
(Alliance News) - The annual growth in new UK car registrations decelerated in January amid a notable increase in the popularity of plug-in hybrid vehicles, data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders showed Thursday.
New car registrations climbed 3.4% on-year in January to 144,127, from 139,345 in January 2025. In December, they had climbed 3.9% on-year to 146,249, from 140,786 in December 2024.
Among new car registrations in January, the market share of battery electric vehicles was 20.6%, down from 21.3% a year ago. January marked the lowest market share since April 2025.
The SMMT said: "The decrease follows a strong 2025 January performance when uptake was pulled forward as buyers sought to avoid April's introduction of new tax rates on battery electric vehicles. Furthermore, the strong BEV performance at the end of 2025, with manufacturers pushing to meet regulatory targets, will also have affected the January market."
Meanwhile, the market share of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles climbed to 12.9% from 9.0%, while that of hybrid vehicles edged up to 13.4% from 13.2%.
The market share of newly registered petrol vehicles fell to 47.7% in January from 50.3% a year ago, while that of diesel vehicles declined to 5.5% from 6.2%.
By Tom Budszus, Alliance News slot editor
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