January new car registrations soared by 3.4%, but EV uptake sparks alarm – Car Dealer Magazine
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James Batchelor
9:30 am, February 5, 2026
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New car registrations jumped by 3.4% in January, but alarm bells have been rung over EV uptake.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show 144,127 cars rolled out of dealerships last month. It was a rise of 3.4% compared to January 2025, and represented the best start to a year since pre-pandemic 2020.
All buyer types saw growth: private retail was up 4.5%, fleets 1.6%, and low-volume business 46.5%. Fleets continued to dominate new car registrations, holding a 61.2% share of the market.
However, behind the headlines, uptake of new EVs barely moved.
Registrations of BEVs rose by just 0.1% to 29,654 units. It represented a 20.6% market share – far short of the 33% mandated by the government this year.
The SMMT said the figure was affected by a strong January 2025, where buyers rushed to avoid April’s introduction of new tax rates on BEVs, and manufacturers pushed sales at the end of 2025 to meet the ZEV Mandate.
The industry body has called for a ‘comprehensive review’ of the electric transition.
Plug-in hybrids led the growth, though, rising 47.3% to account for 12.9% of registrations. Hybrids rose 4.8%, while petrol and diesel both fell – 1.9% and 8.8%, respectively.
The SMMT’s latest market outlook predicts the year to top 2.048 million units.
The Kia Sportage was January’s top-seller with 4,675, followed the Jaecoo 7 (4,059) and the Ford Puma (3,715).
Commenting on the data, SMMT chief Mike Hawes said: ‘Britain’s new car market is building back momentum after a challenging start to the decade. It is also decarbonising more rapidly than ever and, despite a January dip in EV market share, the signs point to growth by the end of the year.
‘The pace of the transition, however, may be slowing and is certainly behind mandated targets. With sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars planned to end in less than four years, there needs to be a comprehensive review of the transition now, to ensure ambition can match reality.’
James – or Batch as he’s known – started at Car Dealer in 2010, first as the work experience boy, eventually becoming editor in 2013. He worked for Auto Express as editor-at-large from 2014 and was the face of Carbuyer’s YouTube reviews. In 2020, he went freelance and now writes for a number of national titles and contributes regularly to Car Dealer. In October 2021 he became Car Dealer’s associate editor.
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