Electric cars take nearly a third of UK new car sales as October registrations surge 54 per cent
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 31.8 per cent of UK new-car registrations in October, with 49,155 registered, as total registrations rose 26.9 per cent to 154,407.
Electric cars took nearly a third of all new car sales in Britain in October, as battery electric vehicle registrations surged by about 54 per cent compared with a year earlier, overtaking both hybrid and petrol models to become the largest single fuel type in the market, according to industry data reported by Reuters.
New Automotive, the car-industry research group behind the figures, recorded 49,155 new battery electric vehicles registered in the United Kingdom in October 2026, accounting for 31.8 per cent of all new-car registrations. Total registrations across all fuel types rose 26.9 per cent in the month to 154,407 units.
Ben Nelmes, the chief executive of New Automotive, said that almost one in three new cars sold in October was fully electric, more than any other fuel type, and that electric car sales were up by more than half on last year. The milestone marks a striking change in the British market, where electric cars accounted for only about a fifth of sales as recently as October 2024, according to earlier industry figures.
Tesla led the electric market over the year so far, with registrations up 25.4 per cent on a year earlier and a 9.53 per cent share of the battery electric market, Reuters reported. South Korea's Kia and China's BYD continued to compete closely for second place, with market shares of 6.9 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively, a sign of how fiercely contested the electric segment has become between established brands and newer Chinese entrants.
Separate demand data pointed in the same direction. AutoTrader, Britain's largest car marketplace, reported that electric models accounted for a record share of new-car enquiries in October, more than a third of all enquiries for the first time, with the BMW iX3 the most in-demand electric model. Average advertised discounts stood at 10.1 per cent for electric vehicles, close to the 10.2 per cent average across all fuel types, suggesting that competition on price remains intense even as demand grows.
The October figures build on a strong September, when the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recorded 99,201 battery electric registrations, a 28.3 per cent share of the market, in what was then a record monthly volume. October's 31.8 per cent share pushed that record higher still, and underlined that the shift towards electric motoring in Britain is accelerating rather than plateauing.
For manufacturers, the figures arrive at a sensitive moment. The British government's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate sets rising targets for the share of new cars that must be electric, and the industry has been watching whether consumer demand can keep pace with those targets without heavy discounting. October's data suggests demand is there, at least for now, even if discounts remain a feature of the market.
For buyers, the expanding choice is part of the story. There are now far more electric models on sale than there were a few years ago, spanning small city cars to large family SUVs, and Chinese brands such as BYD have added to the competition on price and specification. That breadth of choice, combined with grants and falling running costs for many drivers, has helped electric cars move from a niche to the largest single segment of the new-car market.
What happens next will depend on whether the October pace can be sustained through the final months of the year. AutoTrader has forecast 2.21 million new car registrations in Britain in 2026 as a whole, up 9.5 per cent on 2025, and the electric share of that total will be closely watched by manufacturers, policymakers and dealers alike.
For now, October stands as a landmark month: the month when, for the first time, nearly one in three new cars leaving British showrooms was fully electric, and when electric cars outsold every other fuel type outright.
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