UK Car Registrations Up 24% in April to 149,247

New car registrations in the United Kingdom surged 24 percent in April to 149,247, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, with battery electric vehicles leading the growth at a 59.1 percent increase to nearly 39,100 units and capturing 26.2 percent of the market.

The milestone marked the registration of the two millionth battery electric vehicle in the UK. Sales rose across all sectors, driven by fleet purchases that climbed 26.8 percent to 90,462, private buyers up 20.2 percent to 56,116, and smaller businesses increasing 15 percent to 2,669. Petrol car sales grew 8.2 percent to 63,541, while diesel registrations fell 1 percent to 6,341. Overall, electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrids up 46.4 percent and hybrids up 18.8 percent, accounted for 53.2 percent of the market.

The rebound followed an unusually weak April last year, when buyers rushed purchases into March to avoid tax changes effective April 1, 2025. Those included scrapping vehicle excise duty exemptions for zero- and low-emission vehicles and applying the expensive car supplement to battery electric vehicles priced above 40,000 pounds, adding 425 pounds annually to the standard rate....