Best-selling cars 2025: The UK's most popular new models of the year

With three months of car registrations data so far in 2025, a picture of the UK’s top ten most popular cars of the year is beginning to emerge.

Jump straight to the list of top 10 best-selling cars

This year, carmakers face toughening quotas on the proportion of electric vehicles they sell, with any brand that shifts more than 2,500 cars or commercial vehicles over the 12 months of 2025 required to ensure that 28 per cent of them are pure electric. That’s up from 22 per cent last year — a target that was beaten by some brands but missed by the industry as a whole, with the total market share reaching just 19.6 per cent in 2024.

The Department for Transport didn’t expect any brand to have to pay the fines for each internal combustion engine (ice) car sold above the quota last year, due to “flexibility” built into the system (based on overall emissions from fleets of cars sold over previous years).

And in April, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer brought forward a response to a consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle (zev) mandate, and further relaxed the zev rules for 2025 onwards, to ease pressure on an industry beset by headwinds. This is not least due to a global trade war sparked by President Trump imposing 25 per cent tariffs on vehicle imports to America.

Starmer said carmakers in the UK can make up for missed targets in the coming years with increased EV sales in the future, when the market has matured. He has also reduced the fines from £15,000 to £12,000 per combustion car sold above the quota, and confirmed that new hybrid cars can be sold until 2035, five years after pure combustion cars are outlawed.

Keir Starmer eases pressure on carmakers to sell EVs in response to ‘global economic headwinds’

However, the 2030 and 2035 deadlines remain, as do the toughening annual EV quotas, so 2025 will still be a very tough year for vehicle makers as the heat is turned up.

Of all cars sold in March, pure-electric models made up 19.4 per cent (69,313 vehicles). That’s an increase of 43.2 per cent on the same month in 2024, showing progress is being made, but of the top 10 best sellers so far this year, only two are available with pure-electric powertrains, and a third — the Ford Puma — is not getting an electric version until later this spring.

It may mean that, once again, carmakers will have to discount electric models heavily, or reduce the supply of petrol and hybrid cars, to get near the zero emission vehicle mandate.

Before the government’s announcement on easing zev mandate pressures, Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which represents the UK car industry and releases the registration figures, again called on the government to help stimulate demand:

“Manufacturers remain committed to the market decarbonisation the country and the environment demands, but we need sustained growth, not a short-term bubble driven by unsustainable manufacturer discounting.”

Hawes has previously said that, “EV consumers need carrots, not ever more sticks,” if the government wants to encourage people into electric cars, highlighting a change in road tax that was brought in at the start of April. Buyers of new EVs now pay VED (aka road tax) for the first time, and EVs costing over £40,000 started attracting the expensive car supplement. That means EV owners now pay £10 for the first tax year, then either £195 per year or £620 per year from years two to six after registration, so a £40,000-plus electric vehicle now attract £3,110 in road tax over the first six years of its life — up from zero.

Electric cars owners will pay VED road tax, chancellor confirms in autumn statement

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars of 2025

But what are the UK’s best-selling new cars so far in 2025? Here are the top ten most popular models of the year to date, according to the SMMT’s registration figures.

1. Ford Puma: 14,930 registrations in 2025 to date

Although it didn’t have a lightning start to 2025, the Ford Puma had a very big month for sales when the new registration plate arrived in March, and shot to the top of the 2025 best-sellers list. The compact crossover topped the sales charts for both 2023 and 2024, too.

The Puma’s success is arguably no surprise as Ford’s entry-level model is based on the excellent (but now discontinued) Fiesta, and is therefore one of the best-handling and most practical cars in its class.

In his review of the Puma, Jeremy Clarkson said he loved the washable boot (known as the “megabox”) and noted that the feature seemed to be designed by “an actual person who leads an actual life”.

The Puma’s positive reception by critics and public alike helped convince Ford of Europe to end sales of the less profitable Fiesta — joining on the scrapheap other former sales titans the Mondeo and Focus — and plough ahead with the new pure-electric Puma Gen-E. It will add to the electric line-up alongside the Mustang Mach-E, new Capri and new Explorer. Quite the changing of the guard.

2. Kia Sportage: 12,866 registrations

Sunday Times family car of the year 2022: Kia Sportage

The current Kia Sportage family SUV was relaunched in 2022, getting a new chassis and engine line-up along with more modern styling. The interior quality is excellent and the combined 12.3in digital displays give the interior a technologically-advanced look.

At the top of the Sportage range is a plug-in hybrid model developing 261bhp through its combination of 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor. A non-plug-in hybrid is available in this generation Sportage, as well as mild-hybrid petrol models and a diesel, so all buyers will be catered for whatever their fuel preference.

It’s up against polished rivals such as its cousin, the Hyundai Tucson, as well as the VW T-Roc, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga, so competition in this sector is fierce, and that makes the fact that it was the second best-selling car of 2024 — and the most popular car of all in the first two months of this year — all the more impressive.

3. Nissan Qashqai: 11,792 registrations

The Nissan Qashqai is enduringly popular: it was the UK’s overall best-selling car in 2022, the second most-bought model in 2023, and the third best-seller in 2024.

The Qashqai helped popularise the crossover genre, having a bigger impact on the types of cars we drive than almost any other car launched this century. SUVs and crossovers now dominate sales, as the top ten most popular cars of 2024 demonstrated.

The current Qashqai launched in 2021 with a hybrid “e-Power” variant, clever technology, a fresher design and more upmarket interior, and we liked it enough to name it our Small SUV / Crossover of the Year. It was refreshed last year, with updated styling and interior tech, plus a new specification called N-Design.

There’s no denying that, whether buying new or used, the Qashqai is a decent and able family car, with good fuel economy, smart looks and lots of tech at an affordable price. Plus it’s built in Sunderland.

Nissan Qashqai e-Power 2024 review: Solid, sensible SUV sustenance

4. Vauxhall Corsa: 11,476 registrations

The Vauxhall Corsa supermini started 2024 strongly but was knocked off the number one spot in May, and finished the year outside the top 10. The same pattern may occur this year, too, as sales of popular high-riding SUVs gather pace, though Vauxhall continues to make the Corsa more attractive with price drops and upgrades.

With Ford discontinuing in 2023 its hugely popular Fiesta, the Corsa’s chief rival, it was an opportunity for rivals like Vauxhall to capitalise; Renault said as much about the hybrid Clio it launched last year. The current Corsa, introduced in 2019, has a good shout in the short to medium term with handsome looks and a range of power choices under the bonnet, including a pure-electric variant. Last year the electric version was updated with range boosted to 255 miles per charge.

But now, new, cheap and good-to-drive small electric cars, such as the Renault 5, Hyundai Inster and Fiat Grande Panda, are arriving to steal some of the Corsa’s thunder. All of the above are much more affordable than the electric version of the Vauxhall supermini, so its excellent start in 2025 is looking shaky long term.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric 2023 review: More power, more range and yes, more money

5. Volkswagen Golf: 10,749 registrations

You might have expected the legendary VW Golf to do be doing even better than fifth in this list, but it goes to show how much crossovers and SUVs are now in vogue, and the current eighth-generation Golf isn’t a darling of the motoring press.

However, its frustrating touchscreen infotainment system has been much improved with the Golf Mk 8.5, launched last year, and it has sharper looks and a new plug-in hybrid option capable of 62 miles on electric power alone (officially). This has given what many still consider to be the benchmark family hatchback a boost in sales.

Look beyond the tech and the Golf has many redeeming features. The ride quality is excellent and the refinement top notch. The handling is pleasing, too, and it comes in many flavours including the sporty GTI and GTI Clubsport, GTE plug-in hybrid, diesel GTD and fire-breathing four-wheel-drive Golf R.

6. Nissan Juke: 10,414 registrations

2019 Nissan Juke 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show Reveal

We haven’t often seen the Juke — the Qashqai’s smaller sibling — in the top 10 before 2024, so Nissan will be delighted that it had two crossovers in the top four best-selling cars of last year, and that both cars have started 2025 so strongly.

The Juke has been a bit of a Marmite car in the past but the second-generation model is an objectively more attractive proposition and the introduction of a hybrid version has clearly caught the eye of many new car buyers who value fuel economy and low running costs.

Like the Qashqai, the Juke is built in Sunderland and so the “buy local” effect may be a factor in its popularity. But the Juke drives well, appeals to young drivers, has plenty of tech and is competitively priced, which makes the compact crossover an attractive proposition for buyers of all ages.

The forthcoming replacement model, announced last year, may continue in much the same vein.

2020 Nissan Juke: photos, prices, engines and technology

7. MG HS: 9,738 registrations

A visit to the top 10 best-selling cars is unusual for MG, though it could be a sign of things to come. Although a British brand, MG is owned by Chinese state-owned megacorp SAIC, and many can see Chinese companies dominating global vehicle production and sales over the coming years.

Car market fixed by ‘brutal’ China and the West is ‘too scared’ to fight back, says Iain Duncan-Smith

The MG HS is the brand’s rival to the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Ford Kuga and the many others in the crowded mid-sized crossover segment, though with prices starting at £24,995 it’s able to undercut its competitors.

The price reflects its refinement, though, and reviews show the cost savings are apparent inside, in its driving manners and under the bonnet. Still, it’s a smart-looking thing, thanks to a design refresh in 2024, and you can’t argue with its practicality, seven-year warranty or pricetag.

8. Volkswagen Tiguan: 9,140 registrations

VW’s compact SUV was updated for 2024 with a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains, leaving customers who want to go electric to turn their gazes towards the ID. range of models. It seems releasing another Tiguan with combustion power was a smart move, as it’s made the top 10 best sellers in the first three months of 2025.

It’s not the most exciting car in its class to drive, the performance is average rather than thrilling, and with prices starting at £34,060, it’s not the most affordable option out there, either. But what the current Tiguan offers is plenty of luxury and technology, as well as a comfortable ride, making it a grown-up choice.

Volkswagen Tiguan 2024 review: There’s life left in combustion engines for VW’s biggest seller

9. MG ZS: 9,041 registrations

A second model in the top 10 for MG shows how the Chinese state-owned brand is making serious in-roads on our shores.

The MG ZS compact SUV is no longer an electric model — that job goes to the MG S5 EV — instead being sold as a petrol or hybrid model (which arrived last year). And with a starting price of £19,995, it comes in much cheaper than rivals such as the Ford Puma, which costs from £26,580.

Like the HS, the petrol ZS comes with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, though the hybrid is the one to go for as it offers improved efficiency. Both have lacklustre driving dynamics, as well as below par road noise levels and refinement, but they major on interior space, equipment and bang for your buck.

MG ZS Hybrid+ 2024 review: Bigger and better, but still a bargain?

10. Hyundai Tucson: 8,715 registrations

Hyundai’s compact crossover was refreshed in 2024, with updates to its styling and interior, making it an even more likeable model.

It comes either as a petrol, mild-hybrid (with a choice of two power outputs) or a plug-in hybrid offering an electric-only range of 39 miles (officially), meaning there’s a decent choice for car buyers not looking to go fully electric just yet. Its ride quality, handling and comfort are excellent, and well-suited to pock-marked British roads.

Pricing starts at £33,080, so it’s far from the most affordable car in its class, but that reflects Hyundai’s status these days as a carmaker with some of the best tech out there, and knocking on the door of premium.

Top 10 most popular cars

#	Make & model	Registrations to date
1	Ford Puma	14,930
2	Kia Sportage	12,866
3	Nissan Qashqai	11,792
4	Volkswagen Corsa	11,476
5	Volkswagen Golf	10,749
6	Nissan Juke	10,414
7	MG HS	9,738
8	Volkswagen Tiguan	9,140
9	MG ZS	9,041
10	Hyundai Tucson	8,715