BEVs and PHEVs account for nearly one-third of January new car registrations in the UK – EV Infrastructure News
While BEVs and PHEVs were not responsible for the majority of new car registrations individually, they collectively made a greater contribution to new UK car registrations than petrol vehicles.
February 6, 2026
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) accounted for nearly one-third of new car registration in the UK in January 2026, up from an average of one-in-four new registrations reported for the entirety of 2025.
These are the latest figures from New Automotive, which published its data covering the UK EV market earlier this week, including figures from January 2026. While BEVs and PHEVs were not responsible for the majority of new car registrations individually—with these technology types accounting for 20.9% and 11.9% of new car registrations, respectively—collectively this is a greater contribution to new UK car registrations than petrol vehicles, which accounted for 28.1% of registrations, and on par with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which accounted for 33.9%, the most among vehicle types.
HEVs, meanwhile, led all types of cars in terms of new registrations in January, with 45,320 new cars on the road. This means that, save for December 2025 when there were more BEV registrations than HEV registrations, HEVs have accounted for more new registrations than any other vehicle type in each month since June 2024, as shown in the graph below.
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This trend takes place amid a slight contraction in the overall UK car market. The number of new car registrations in the UK in January 2026 is 4.6% lower than in January 2025, meaning that the raw numbers of several types of vehicle registered have fallen month-on-month; for instance, the 27,963 electric cars registered in January 2026 is a 6.3% decline on the number of registrations in December 2025.
However, the New Automotive report notes that the results from the January registrations “should be read primarily as a demand and timing story,” rather than evidence of a sudden turn away from EVs in the UK. Indeed, the number of registrations of PHEVs and BEVs both increased year-on-year, up 19.9% and 29.6% respectively, suggesting that there is still appetite for new EVs in the UK independent of broader market contractions.
“Battery electric registrations may have softened slightly in January, while plug-in hybrids rose on the back of discounting, but the bigger story is simpler,” explained Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, an industry body for consumer engagement.
“Petrol cars have slumped sharply year on year. British consumers are still moving towards cars with plugs, and away from those without. Month to month BEV figures can be volatile, especially after an unusually strong December and as manufacturers manage their early year product mix and compliance pathways.”
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The report also notes that several manufacturers are on track to meet what New Automotive its “real market-wide ZEV (zero-emission vehicles) target”. This is a variant on the ZEV mandate target set by the UK government that requires ZEVs to account for one-third of all car sales by the end of this year, but one that takes into account manufacturers that are “exceeding carbon dioxide emission targets on their non-ZEV vehicle sales”.
As a result, the “real” ZEV target sits at 25.3%, lower than the actual ZEV mandate target, with the idea being that a combination of ZEV sales and the decarbonisation of non-ZEVs will collectively reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. New Automotive notes that BYD, Chery Automobile, Ford, Geely, Renault, SAIC and Tesla sold enough ZEVs in the first month of the year to be on pace to meet the “real” ZEV target, while BYD, Geely and Tesla are on pace to meet the ZEV mandate target.
While ZEVs accounted for 100% of the sales made by Tesla in January, the most among manufacturers profiled by New Automotive, it is worth noting that the company sold just 647 cars in the first month of the year, the lowest of all manufacturers profiled.
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Overall, these figures are slightly less encouraging than those reported at the end of 2025, when ZEVs accounted for 32.7% of all car sales in the UK in December. However, John Lewis, CEO of chargepoint operator char.gy said that it would be hasty to draw too many conclusions from this data.
“It would be a mistake to read too much into a single month’s data,” he said. “January’s figures look consistent with a short-term shift in manufacturer strategy towards hybrids, and that kind of recalibration shouldn’t be mistaken for a loss of consumer appetite for EVs. From what we see on the ground, interest remains strong.”
“The global direction of travel is clear,” added Delvin Lane, CEO of ultra-rapid charging network InstaVolt. “Petrol is declining, diesel is dropping away even faster, and electrification is steadily taking a larger share of the market.”
"As access improves and more drivers experience the technology first hand, many will realise that for everyday motoring, an EV is not just the cleaner option, it is the better one.”
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